


Namaste

by Katri Jardine (heyanapau)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Yoga, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Teacher-Student Relationship, Vicchan Lives, Yoga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-11-11 12:51:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11148795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyanapau/pseuds/Katri%20Jardine
Summary: Phichit drags Yuuri to a yoga class, but when the instructor walks in Yuuri can't imagine himself anywhere else.





	1. Downward dog

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is actually my first fanfic ever published so please feel free to leave comments, I'd love to hear what you think :)
> 
> This came to me last week during my bedtime yoga session and I haven't been able to get it out of my head, so here you have it. I thought of it as a one-shot, but I really really enjoyed writing it so if you enjoy it, let me know and maybe I'll write more chapters! 
> 
> This is unbeta'd so if you find any mistakes, please let me know <3

Yuuri knows he’s doomed from the moment the apartment door swings open. Phichit is wearing an ecstatic smile, looking like he just won the lottery. Yuuri briefly wonders how his friend can get them in so much trouble when he literally only left to buy food for his hamsters. An everyday activity like that shouldn’t be able to get them into sticky situations. A million thoughts rush through Yuuri’s mind. Each appearing right after the previous one, not giving him a chance to focus on any of them, only making him feel more fidgety as the seconds go by excruciatingly slow.

  
“Yuuri!” Phichit finally speaks. “Guess what?” Yuuri winces at the question. This is definitely not good for him. He stays silent, letting his friend continue. “I got us into a demo yoga class,” he says, finally ending Yuuri’s torture. Except it only makes it worse.

  
“Yoga?” he asks

  
“Yoga,” his friend confirms, quickly adding, “You know I’ve been meaning to try it for months. You only need to come with me for the demo, I promise. It’s tomorrow at nine, by the way.” Yuuri sighs, accepting his faith. It could be worse, he thinks.

 

 

* * *

 

 

  
It’s 8:40 when they leave their apartment the next morning, clad in sports clothes. Phichit is even more excited than Yuuri thought he would be, there’s a bit of a skip in his step. How someone can feel so energetic on a Saturday morning is beyond Yuuri, but he doesn’t complain. It takes them ten minutes to walk to the studio, just a few blocks away from home. When they get there it’s still closed, so they stay out talking lightly about nothing in particular.

  
Not much later they see a redheaded woman walking towards them, wearing yoga pants and a tank top. She makes her way to the door and unlocks it, giving them a big smile and a cheerful greeting.

  
“You must be Phichit,” she says, still smiling “Sara told me you’d stop by. And you are…?” she’s looking at Yuuri.

  
“Yuuri, nice to meet you” he answers with a soft smile, still sounding half-asleep. “Are you our teacher?” he asks.

  
“Oh no, not today. You’ll be in Victor’s class. He’ll be here in a few minutes, but you can come in and get ready.” She gave them both a quick look “You don’t have mats, do you?”

  
“No,” said the boys in unison, making the girl laugh.

  
“That’s okay.” She assured them, “You can borrow ours.” She stepped into the studio, holding the door open for the two boys, who looked around the small waiting room.

  
“Thank you! I was too excited to think about it,” says Phichit, already swaying excitedly on his feet. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”

  
“Oh, that’s okay. I’m glad you’re excited! Victor is a great teacher, you’ll see. I’m Mila, by the way, I’m in charge of the Hot Yoga sessions” Upon the confused looks on both their faces, she goes on to explain the difference between “normal” and “hot” yoga (hot yoga is practiced in a room at around 40 degrees Celsius, or 105 Fahrenheit. Mila explains it is easier to sweat, and very cleansing but that much more demanding to the body). Phichit looks excited and promises they will both come back next week for a session with Mila, and then decide which one they like better.

  
The waiting room has welcomed a few more students while they were talking, a few of them proceeding into one of the rooms, where the class is about to start. Mila suggests Yuuri and Phichit head in and get settled so they can choose their places.

  
The floor in the room is softer than the one outside, one could probably do yoga without the mat. There’s a mirror wall at the end, everyone is turned to look in that direction so Yuuri and Phichit set their mats in the same direction. They begin to stretch, Phichit talking about how excited he is and how much he could use the strength and flexibility yoga is sure to help him get. The other boy agrees that it might help with skating, but he also thinks he can’t get much more than what he already got from ballet.

  
He is wrong.

  
Victor walks in smiling, greeting the class. He’s tall, slim, but clearly strong and has gorgeous silver hair that falls softly on the side of his face. He’s wearing a tight, black, long-sleeved crop top that perfectly accentuates the muscles on his arms and shows off the man’s toned abs. His pants are also tight around legs that seem to have been carved on marble. Yuuri can see each and every muscle from his ass to his thighs to his calves clearly through the dark fabric. He is sure it should be illegal to go out looking like that, someone might have a stroke. Phichit is also staring. They exchange looks and he mouths a ‘damn’.

  
Victor walks to the front of the classroom, extends his mat and sits down, looking around at the familiar faces. He spots two unfamiliar ones, and assumes they’re the ones Mila mentioned. He makes a mental note to keep an eye on them. Because they are new, not because of a pair of hypnotizing brown eyes that are looking at him like he’s a miracle. He guides the class through a few deep breaths and a sun salutation, to get everyone warmed-up and present. Then he begins the session.

  
The class goes well, the routine isn’t too demanding, and the new guys seem to be getting a good grip on everything. Victor takes a stroll through the classroom several times, to correct difficult postures and help students find their limits, talking them into easier alternatives.

  
At one point he tells everyone to do a few cycles of downward dog into plank, and goes around correcting tiny details. He congratulates Phichit on his plank, and corrects his downward dog just a bit. He then moves onto Yuuri, just as he’s shifting out of the plank. The posture is perfect, his feet are flat on the ground and his legs are straight, giving Victor a great view of the man’s behind. He tries to keep the thoughts at bay. He walks to Yuuri’s front and crouches to ask if he’s done yoga before. Ballet, the man says, looking at him through strands of black hair. That explains a lot. He gives him an approving smile, and moves on, not seeing the light blush spread on his new student’s cheeks.

  
When the class is over, Victor says goodbye to his students and follows them out to the waiting room. He waves over the two boys he’d spotted at the beginning of the class from behind the counter. The two men look confused, talking hurriedly to one another. Phichit is sure Victor is calling Yuuri, and Yuuri is sure there is nothing he could talk about with the impossibly attractive teacher. They walk over together, Phichit lightly shoving his friend.

  
“Hi! My name is Victor, it’s nice to meet you two. How was the class?” Victor says as soon as they’re within earshot. Yuuri lets out the breath he had been holding. Of course, he wanted to ask if they wanted to take regular classes.

  
“Nice to meet you. I’m Phichit, and this is my friend Yuuri.” Victor smiles kindly at them, eyes lingering on Yuuri just a little more than necessary. A voice in his head whispers that he’s glad they’re just friends. “The class was great,” he turns to look at Yuuri who hums in agreement, taking a sip of water. When he lowers the bottle he is still looking at Victor like he made the sun come up that morning. Victor is sure his heart stops.

  
“I’m glad. First-timers don’t tend to have a hard time until they can’t move the next day,” Victor says with a wink. “But you don’t look like first-timers, to be honest.”

 

“We’re figure skaters,” Yuuri says, making Victor’s eyes light up and his lips form a small smile. He’s looking at Yuuri the way children look at their Christmas gifts. It doesn’t last long because Phichit clears his throat to add that he’s looking for extra practice outside the rink and hopes yoga can help him. Victor turns to him, with a now-bright smile.

 

“Of course it can help,” He exclaims, “you’ll grow stronger and more flexible” there’s a small pause where he hesitates. “Or… I guess, in your case, you’ll stay as strong and flexible. Yoga can also help tone your muscles if you want a more defined look.” He finally adds.

  
“What about hot yoga?” Phichit inquires, and Yuuri almost chokes on his drink. He was definitely not thinking that was the appropriate term to describe the man in front of him.

 

“I don’t think there’s a big difference. To me, it’s more about personal preference. You can come to Mila’s class some time and then decide for yourselves.”

 

“Oh, thank you but I don’t think I’m staying” Yuuri says, and Victor’s heart breaks. His smile falters for just a second, but the other two can tell. “I already have pole-dancing, I just came here so Phichit had some company on his first day” Victor didn’t hear a word after pole-dancing.

  
“So you do ballet, figure skating, _and_ pole dancing?” he blurts out before he can stop himself. His eyes are trained on the black-haired boy but he can see and hear Phichit giggling out of the corner of his eye. Brown eyes go wide.

  
“N-No, I mean yes. Well, not exactly” Yuuri is stumbling over his own words and Victor thinks it’s the cutest thing he has ever witnessed. “I don’t practice ballet anymore, is what I mean. Pole-dancing is just to… keep me fit, I guess?” Victor does not imagine how those thighs would look on a pole.

  
“I see,” he says, trying to keep his cool. “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us.” He winks at Yuuri for the second time today. He’s thinking fast, trying to find a way to make him stay. “It’s a shame, though. We have a special offer this month. Two for one.” Phichit perks up at that, and Victor smiles thinking he’s got it. Yuuri turns to look at his friend, who looks like he’s about to kneel down and beg. He promises to think about it.

  
Phichit promises he’ll be back later that week for one of Mila’s classes. Then they both turn to leave the studio. However as soon as Yuuri is out the door, Phichit turns back to Victor and promises to bring him back. Yuuri blushes with his back to the studio. Victor looks up at them with a smile that makes his cheeks hurt, waving goodbye.


	2. The Pigeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, friends! I did it, I'm back. I couldn't stop myself.  
> Aaaaah I hope u enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it, these boys are DELIGHTFUL  
> I just love all my children so much im (not) sorry  
> This chapter is almost twice as long as the first one?????

Victor is behind the front desk, looking at something on his phone when people start pouring out of Mila’s classroom. He waves them all goodbye with a bright smile, some of them stop to pay their monthly fee, and before it gets overwhelming Mila is helping him, still covered in a thin layer of sweat.  He asks how her class went, and she says it’s the same old. Victor talks before Mila can turn the question on him.

“You didn’t say he was cute.”

“Huh?” she seems confused for a second, before it clicks. She asks Victor who he’s talking about, _the one with the glasses_. “Ah, I didn’t know he was your type. They were both cute, if you ask me.” Victor hums in agreement.

“What if I never see him again?” he sounds like he could cry any moment now. He can’t be serious.

“Don’t be such a drama queen. They said they’d come to one of my classes.” she tries to assure him, certainly one more chance is better than nothing at all.

“Mila,” Victor deadpans, “he pole dances.” The look on his eyes throws Mila into a burst of laughter. She can’t wait to tell everyone. “Mila, this is serious!” Victor is actually concerned, he really does think this is serious. He is frowning. Mila is still laughing when Georgi comes in and she tells him everything once she calms down. Georgi is on the brink of tears when Victor tells him all about Yuuri. About his big brown eyes and shy smile, the light blush that showed the effort on his face, and his perfect downward dog.

“And his ass, you guys, his ass came from another world just to haunt me.” Victor covers his face with his hands, letting out a half-groan, half-sigh.

The three keep talking about him until it’s time for Georgi’s class. Mila has to promise she will do her best to convince Yuuri to stay, only after scolding Victor for making up that two for one deal.

(“Victor, what the fuck?”

“I was desperate, I’m sorry, I’ll pay.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll survive.”)

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Did you see his eyes, though? When he called us over I thought I had died and gone to heaven.” Phichit says as he fiddles with his keychain in front of their apartment door. Yuuri laughs, nodding.

“Can we talk about what he was wearing?” Yuuri pauses and takes a sip of water, stepping in behind his roommate. “I was this close to choking right then and there when he came in.”

“I know, I saw that” he says laughing. “You were totally staring.” he turns to see Yuuri looking at him wide-eyed as if to say _please tell me I wasn’t_. “Don’t worry, I’m sure no one noticed you were literally undressing him with your eyes. I think you drooled a little bit.” Yuuri opens his mouth to try and deny it but Phichit lifts a hand “don’t.” and Yuuri doesn’t, but his face flushes and he quickly changes the topic to what they should have for breakfast.

That’s not the last time Yuuri hears about Victor. Phichit keeps bringing him up constantly, making it hard for his friend to just forget about the deity in black, tight pants. That’s how he ends up agreeing to tag along for Mila’s class.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 **To:** Sara (yoga)

hey this is Phichit again :D [11:06]  
i talked to Mila about trying out her class this week [11:06]  
do u have her sched or know when she has extra space?? [11:07]

 **From:** Sara (yoga)

[11:08] Hi Phichit! :D  
[11:08] Here, this is the studio’s schedule, you can come to any class you want  
[11:09] schedule.jpg   
[11:09] Is it just you or is your friend coming too?

 **To:** Sara (yoga)

its both of us again *peace sign emoji* :D [11:09]  
i think wednesday is good [11:09]  
the 7pm class [11:09]

 **From:** Sara (yoga)

[11:11] Great! I’ll let her know!  
[11:11] See you Wednesday! :D

 **To:** Sara (yoga)

thx!! see u [11:11]

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Victor’s class just finished and he goes to the front desk to chat with Sara, their receptionist. She says goodbye to the last student and then turns to him. He smiles at her and she asks him to cover for her just while she goes out to get a snack. Victor asks her to get him something and hands her a bill, _surprise me_.

It hasn’t been a full minute since Sara left when her phone pings. It’s a message from a student. Victor unlocks the phone and reads the message. His heart stops. He has to stop and breathe for a few seconds to keep himself from crying because he is just so happy. It’s Phichit, he’s asking for Mila’s schedule.

 _He’s coming back._ _Oh my god, he’s coming back_!

Victor types out the best reply he can, trying to sound professional. He hesitates, but he asks if he’s coming alone or with Yuuri. Because he has to let Mila know, right? If it’s just one or two more students, that’s important. Yes, of course. It’s totally normal, completely okay.

_Please bring Yuuri._

Yuuri is coming back. Victor has never smiled so brightly at a message. He feels like jumping up from his seat and running down the block telling everyone that he will get to see Yuuri again. He is truly ecstatic. After realizing he should probably say something, he replies saying he’ll let Mila know.

Taking out his own phone, he marks the date on the calendar. Wednesday, 7p.m. ‘hot yoga with Yuuri’. He’s supposed to have another class at that time, but he’ll see those students later today, Phichit gave him enough time to cancel the class, bless him. Victor can’t wait. He almost counts down the hours.

(It’s 56 hours)

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Wednesday comes, Victor has been wearing a face-splitting smile all day long. Everyone in the studio has been teasing him, looking at him and giggling but he really can’t bring himself to care. Not when there’s nine, eight, seven, six hours left to see Yuuri again. His smile grows impossibly every hour.

Yuuri can’t go back to the yoga studio. He can’t go back and risk the chance of running into Victor. Not today, not ever. Not when he woke up on Sunday with a raging boner and the blur of dreams that most certainly included Victor’s sweet voice and god-like figure.

It’s a quarter to seven and Yuuri is going back to the yoga studio. He is looking down, silently cursing Phichit for being too good a friend to let him say no to this. The teasing hadn’t stopped and when Phichit told Yuuri they were going to Mila’s class, he felt like he stopped existing for a few seconds. He can’t back down now, it’s too late. They walk into the studio and Sara greets them. She tells them which one is the hot yoga room and gives them a pair of mats and gym towels. Yuuri feels like he’s signing his death sentence. Phichit is as excited as the first time, if not more.

The room looks exactly like the one where they took class with Victor, except they quickly spot the air conditioning system. They set their mats next to each other in the middle-back of the room. They are stretching and chatting when the man sitting in front of Yuuri turns around and _oh, no. No, no, no, please, no._ Christophe Giacometti is sitting right in front of him. _Great._

“Yuuri!” the blonde exclaims, stretching out a hand to cup Yuuri’s face. “You never told me you also did hot yoga! Or are you following me?” he asks with a wink. Yuuri wonders when they turned the A/C and how it made the room go up to 40°C so fast.

“Hi, Chris” is the only thing he can manage. Chris is not only a fellow skater, but he pole dances with Yuuri at least two times a week. Yuuri is used to him being a flirt, but he can’t take that right now. Not with the possibility of running into Victor here. _This is too much._

“Aw, Yuuri, don’t be shy. I’ve seen you pole dance for years, you know? This is actually like taking a step back in our relationship, I would say” he almost whispers in his ear, now standing on all fours in front of him, hand still cupping his face.

Victor walked in at the right time to witness the obscene picture, Yuuri’s friend is sitting next to him, stifling laughter. Chris is too close to Yuuri, but Victor knows that means nothing special, that’s just how he is. However what little he hears of their conversation is too much.

There’s a gasp behind Yuuri’s back. “You what, now?” Yuuri doesn’t have to turn around to know he will find silver hair and hypnotizing cerulean blue eyes. He turns anyways. Victor is wearing the shortest, tightest shorts Yuuri has ever seen. He _needs_ to look somewhere else. Victor’s arms are also out in the open today, he’s wearing a sleeveless tank top, and Yuuri has never wanted to trace his tongue down someone’s arms so bad. Yuuri has never wanted to trace his tongues down anyone’s arms, period. He hopes he isn’t staring, but remembering what Phichit had told him, he immediately turns to him. His best friend is _giggling_. _How dare he. Did he know? No, no way._ “Chris, do you know Yuuri?” Victor remembers his name? Yuuri must be dead. This is his punishment.

Chris looks up from Yuuri’s blushed cheeks. “I think the question here is, do _you_ know Yuuri?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. He was in my class last Saturday. How do you two know each other?”

“Well, Yuuri and I have been competing together for a few years. We also pole dance together since… well since the studio opened, I think.” He turns to look at Yuuri for confirmation, and he only nods, eyes fixed on the ground. “I ask him out every other week but he always says no” Chris sighs with a small frown, he looks down and goes back to his cross-legged position, giving Yuuri some breathing space. Phichit can no longer contain his laughter and throws his head back, tears starting to well in his eyes.

Yuuri is trying to will himself back to Japan.

Victor makes a sound like he just realized something. “Hold on, you mean to tell me Yuuri here is PDG?” he exclaims.

“Oh, god. Victor, no.” Chris is blushing now. “I’m sorry, Yuuri” he says, barely making eye contact with Yuuri who has lifted his gaze and is looking at him, a million questions in his eyes. “I know you’re not interested, don’t worry.”

Yuuri is way beyond confusion now. He always thought Chris asking him out was banter, nothing more than a joke. He never dared to think he might be serious.

“Uhm, excuse me,” Phichit says, having miraculously recovered from his fit of laughter, curiosity taints his tone. “Who or what is PDG?”

In the next few seconds everything happens. Victor’s hands fly to his mouth, and his eyebrows shoot up like he just realized what he’s said. Chris blushes two shades darker, and throws his whole body back, landing hard on his mat. He covers his face with his hands, and says something nobody can quite make out. Mila walks in, greeting the class and asking Victor to please find a spot for his mat. She claims she didn’t let him take her class so he can disrupt it. Phichit has to move up, ending up sitting next to Chris, letting Victor set his mat next to Yuuri’s. Mila is already asking everyone to face her and breathe. Yuuri doesn’t think he is physically capable of such a feat right now.

The four of them forget about everything quickly enough, focusing on their breathing instead. The silence in the room is only interrupted by Mila’s soothing voice, giving everyone instructions. Yuuri manages to close his eyes halfway through the session, only opening them when he’s not completely sure he understood what he’s supposed to be doing. He fails to notice Victor staring.

Yuuri has no idea how much time has gone by but he is relaxed, covered in sweat, and actually thankful he let Phichit drag him into this, for once. Mila is talking them through some weird split-like posture she keeps calling ‘pigeon’ but Yuuri just doesn’t see it.

Victor has not closed his eyes, has not dared to blink, since he walked into the room. He got the best spot in the whole room, and he cannot takes his eyes off Yuuri. He’s never been happier to know every posture by heart. Yuuri looks so good doing yoga. His glasses have been discarded next to the gym towel and when he looks up to check his poses with Mila he squints ever so slightly. It’s truly a sight to behold. His hair falls over his face most of the time, but when he looks up it all falls back down and Victor can see the thin sheet of sweat, the rosy cheeks, the peace and happiness written all over his face. Yuuri is genuinely enjoying himself and Victor might already be in love.

Turns out, staring has its benefits. Yuuri is facing him, trying to get his pigeon right, maybe trying too hard. Victor decides to help him. Not just because he wants to be closer to Yuuri, though he won’t deny it, but because Yuuri could hurt himself if he tries too hard.

Yuuri’s eyes are closed, perhaps a bit too hard judging by the deep frown he knows is on his face right now. He hears shuffling, but doesn’t make anything of it. There is a hand on his forearm. That snaps him out of it. As his eyes flutter open, all peace of mind flies out the window. Victor is crouching in front of him, holding his arm, speaking to him. What is he saying?

“Sorry, what?” he mumbles, shaking his head as if waking up. Just when Victor thought he couldn’t possibly be any more endearing. Yuuri’s eyes are searching his own and he can physically feel his heart doing a quad flip.

“I’m saying that if you force your pigeon like this you could hurt yourself.” Victor says in a kind, low voice. “You need to find what feels good, plus you’re not paying attention to your back leg, your foot is facing the wrong way.” Yuuri shifts, trying to fix his pose.

“Is this better?” he asks. His eyes are still searching Victor’s and it takes all of his willpower to not put his hands on Yuuri’s cheeks and press light kisses all over his beautiful, sweaty face.

“Yes. Now, your hips,” Victor places his hands on Yuuri’s hips, tilting them slightly. “You can’t let yourself fall like that, if you do your hips won’t open, which is exactly what we’re looking for here.” Yuuri swallows hard but nods, just like he does when Celestino corrects him. He makes a mental note, and tries to keep himself in the improved pose. “How does your leg feel? Are you sure you’re not stretching your thighs too much?”

Yuuri is dizzy with the attention. He is sure Mila must have noticed by now. Maybe she hasn’t said anything because she knows Victor is also a professional.

“No, my thighs are fine. I think,” he finally says “It’s the front leg that feels weird still.” Victor smiles reassuringly and goes back to his own mat, to show him how to make it feel better. Yuuri tells himself he doesn’t miss the closeness and his eyes take all of Victor in. He is now following Victor’s personalized instructions, and his pigeon feels a lot better now. Victor’s smile is so bright when he looks at him, it might just blind Yuuri. He closes his eyes again, focusing on how his body feels.

“Don’t forget to breathe,” as if on cue, Yuuri lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Good,” Victor’s voice prompts, “I’ll let you get back to it, then.” There’s a smile in his voice, too obvious to mistake for anything else.

The class is over soon after, and everyone starts putting away their mats, getting ready to leave. Mila approaches Phichit and waves Yuuri over.

“Well,” she says, “have you two made up your minds?”

“Yes! I’m staying with you, I really enjoyed today’s session.” Phichit answers. Victor turns to look at him in pretend shock. One hand over his heart, mouth agape. The three of them chuckle.

“I’m so glad to hear that! What about you Yuuri?” Mila continues, smiling.

“I, uh, I don’t know yet?”

“Yuuri, come on, I need you, buddy.” Phichit pleads. Yuuri knows he’s going to end up staying, it’s not worth putting up a fight.

“Sure, yeah. I do really enjoy yoga. I think I can try dropping pole for a month. Sort of like a trial, I guess?” Phichit’s face lights up. He throws his arms around Yuuri’s neck.

“Thank you so much!” he practically yells in Yuuri’s ear. “I owe you one,” and then, “oh my word, you’re so sweaty. Gross!” he untangles himself and the three of them are laughing, Victor and Chris also laugh, standing a few feet behind them.

“Wait, wait, wait, hold up.” Chris walks to them, face serious all of a sudden. He puts an arm around Yuuri, “you’re abandoning me?” he slams his pointer finger to his own chest for emphasis “For him?” he gestures to Victor. Yuuri knows Chris is not serious but can only blush, scratch the back of his neck, and nod, not able to meet Chris’ eyes.

“Come on, boys. Let’s make it official” Mila says, nodding towards the door.

She lets Yuuri and Phichit walk in front of her, and winks at Victor when they are out on the hallway. She leaves Chris and Victor behind, Chris complaining about Victor stealing Yuuri from him. Victor chuckles, and blushes. Chris elbows him lightly.

“You really like him, huh?” he says, more a statement than a question.

“I really think I do.” Victor sighs, and follows the others to the front desk.

Mila hands the boys the studio’s schedule, asks them how many classes per week they want to take, and writes down their personal information in a registration form. Once everything is taken care of they pay, say their goodbyes, and leave.

Victor looks over the registration forms before putting them away. His heart stops. Yuuri chose all of his classes with Victor. He knows that was probably not on purpose, but his heart still feels like bursting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought! (pretty please)  
> [Ref for the pigeon pose](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_zPqA65Nok) (go check it out and tell me everyone's butts would not look glorious doing that jfc)  
> Also, totally forgot to link [my tumblr](http://trenazlore.tumblr.com/) last time, oops. Come say hi! <3


	3. Pranayama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, welcome back!!  
> this chapter is longer than the other two put together??? I'm ~~not~~ sorry  
>  and Yurio finally makes an appearance!! He will be a lot more present next chapter, promise <3  
> anyways, I hope you enjoy this <33  
>  **warning:** there's a tiny moment when Yuuri has a panic attack so heads up for that. It's over real fast but you can skip the whole section surrounded by "+" if you feel uncomfortable.  <3

Yuuri is on edge for a full day before his first official class with Victor. It’s not obvious, but Phichit picks up on it. Knowing his friend probably won’t want to talk about it, he stays away from the subject and keeps the teasing to a minimum. By dinner, however, Yuuri is fidgeting with his fork instead of using it to eat. His brows are drawn together in a deep frown and it looks like his bottom lip could start to bleed any second now from the overwhelming pressure his teeth are putting on it. Phichit reaches a hand to the other side of the table, and places it over Yuuri’s fidgeting hand. It’s obvious that all his thoughts halt to a stop at the touch. He looks up, surprised, suddenly realizing how deep inside his own head he was. His mouth opens to let out an apology for worrying his friend, but the gentle smile on Phichit’s face stops him.

“Tell me what’s on your mind,” he says, and Yuuri damns those kind doe-like eyes because he can’t keep anything from him when he asks.

Yuuri sighs “I shouldn’t have signed up, it was stupid, and it was probably an endorphin high. I just couldn’t stop thinking about how I wanted to keep him close but it’s stupid, Phichit. I just doomed myself to a full month of drooling over some guy that is probably already taken. And if he’s not… I mean you’re not friends with Christophe Giacometti and not get laid regularly.” Yuuri is letting out every single thought he’s had since he woke up, barely stopping to breathe. Phichit squeezes the hand he’s still holding.

“Yuuri,” he says softly but firmly “it wasn’t stupid.” He takes a deep breath, “Look, I can see where you’re coming from but” Yuuri knows what’s coming, and he looks down at his plate, bracing for it “I will say it even if you don’t believe me. You are attractive and charming, and that Victor is lucky you even want to be around him. Plus,” he pauses and lets go of his hand, to place it under Yuuri’s chin to make him look up “he might be interested. After all, you too, are friends with Chris, aren’t you?” he wiggles his eyebrows and there’s a smirk appearing on his face. That makes Yuuri blush and start babbling nonsense, but it takes the edge off him and for that he is thankful.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

On Yuuri’s first day of class, Victor doesn’t need an alarm to wake up. His eyes fly open twenty minutes before his alarm rings, already wearing a smile. He sighs and covers his face with the comforter, rolling around the bed. His body feels like it’s fizzing with excitement, so he decides to go for a quick run to let all the nervous energy out. Makkachin meets him at the door, not caring that the sun is not out yet.

By the time they come back, sweating and panting, Yurio is up, already making coffee for both of them. He greets them with a nod and a huff and sits down at the kitchen bar to sip his cup and nibble on a granola bar. Victor walks past to shower before they have to leave. The run and the shower definitely calm his giddiness and by the time he leaves Yurio at the rink he feels ready to face the day. The hours he spends teaching help. He loses himself to the routine, and manages to forget why he was giddy in the first place.

That lasts until Chris texts him, fifteen minutes before Victor’s last class of the day.

**From:** Chris G.

[19:44] omw to my first yuuri-less class in tears

[19:44] u did this to me victor idk if i can forgive u

[19:44] </3

[19:45] omg years not tears

[19:45] im close tho

Victor chuckles, and sends out a quick ‘I’m sorry’ and a handful of heart emojis before putting his phone back in his locker. He locks himself in the staff room and sits down to meditate for a few minutes before he can be caught off guard by brown eyes and the sweetest smile he’s ever seen. He can ask Yuuri for his number at the end of the class. Right now, though, he still has one last session to go.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Yuuri’s first class goes well, Victor thinks. There’s nothing out of the ordinary, he flows through the routine following Victor’s movements easily. He doesn’t notice the teacher keeping a close eye on him. Victor is genuinely happy every time he tells the class to smile, to watch out for frowns, to relax their shoulders, to feel the energy flowing through them. He smiles at all of them one last time, and thanks them for being there.

Yuuri takes this as his cue to leave and he is up on his feet and out the door faster than anyone else. By the time Victor has finished putting away his things and turns to look for Yuuri, he is nowhere to be seen. He springs to his feet, running to the front desk. He breathlessly asks Sara if he has seen Yuuri. She tells him he left a few minutes earlier and reaches up a hand to comfort him. Victor feels devastated but goes back to grab his stuff and heads home.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“What if he did it on purpose, Chris? What if he ran away because he _knew_ I would go talk to him?” Victor sighs. They are out for lunch at their favorite restaurant because Chris figured he needed a break. Victor is venting to his friend about his 'disastrous encounter' with Yuuri. Chris’ eyes went so wide when he heard about Yuuri leaving in such a hurry Victor knew immediately it wasn’t normal. He’s beginning to think about everything that could go wrong. “What if – what if I do ask him out or whatever and he says 'no' and then he has to keep going to class and I just make things awkward for everyone? It’s a _yoga_ class, Chris! People go there to relax and let go, I can’t mess up the energy; Mila would kill me.” He says, and he believes it. Then, softly, after a pause, “my students trust me.” He sighs again and looks at Chris like he’s asking for forgiveness.

“Victor, listen to me.” Chris says, setting down his lemonade. “Yuuri would never let it be awkward and, if you ask me, I have the theory that he didn’t leave pole dancing because he didn’t like it. He’s either doing this for Phichit and, as good friends as they are, I don’t think he would give up pole dance for him. Or,” he leans over the table “He’s doing it because he wants to go back to the studio for… someone,” he continues, dismissively waving a hand in front of him and sitting back again. “Let’s not forget he _did_ choose to have all his classes with you.”

That calms Victor a bit. He still feels restless, not knowing all the answers, but just the possibility that he’s there just for Victor makes his heart beat a little bit faster. He asks Chris if he still should try to ask him out, and his friend is baffled Victor even doubted it for a second. That ends Victor’s uneasiness and they can chat lightheartedly for the rest of their meal.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

On Wednesday, Victor is prepared. His classes fly by and during his last class, he is very aware of every word leaving his mouth. He’s sitting cross-legged when he bows forward and wishes everyone a great rest of the week. He doesn’t turn to put his things away, like he usually does. Instead, he walks over to Yuuri, but with every step he takes forward, he seems to be losing the courage he’d been building up the whole day.

Yuuri sees a pair of bare feet stop next to him, as he’s rolling up the borrowed mat. He’s thought of buying one, but deemed it better to see if he survived the ‘trial month’. He looks up when he realizes the owner of said feet probably needs something. He recognizes the person halfway through, when his eyes stumble onto a loose-fitting, wine crop top. He swallows hard and furrows his brows, confused. Victor is looking at him patiently, with a hint of… nervousness? His hands are behind his back, so he can’t see the fidgeting that would confirm his suspicion. He stands up, to be closer to eye-level, even if he is shorter. Victor can’t bring himself to speak, because all he can think about is the way Yuuri is currently looking at him; expectantly, curious, maybe a bit nervous, but not shy; he is not backing down.

“I… how was class? Did you– did you enjoy it? You left so fast on Monday; I didn’t have time to ask.” Victor says, trying to ground himself by interlacing his hands behind his back. He knows he looks a mess, but Yuuri’s soft smile helps soothe his nerves.

“Oh, I– I’m sorry,” Yuuri says, looking down at his feet. “I needed to go back to the rink. I forgot my keys. I’m really sorry.”

“I understand, you don’t need to apologize.” Victor says, feeling a lot more at ease, knowing that it wasn’t his fault Yuuri had run out. “So, comments, questions… complaints?” Yuuri lets out a small chuckle at his teacher’s concern and shakes his head.

“It’s all good, I just wish the pose names weren’t so many and so hard, it’s gonna take a while for me to get used to them.” Victor hums at that, nodding.

“Does that mean you’ll stay longer than a month?” he hasn’t forgotten that Yuuri said it was a trial. Yuuri blushes a little, but he shakes his head no again.

“I don’t know yet, it’s only been two days, you know?” he says, scratching the back of his neck.

“Four, if you count the demo classes you took with me and Mila” Yuuri smiles and Victor can only think about how much more he wants to see that smile. He wants to see it when he wakes up in the morning, when he comes home after a long day, just before he goes to bed, and when he takes Makkachin out for walks.

“Ah, I guess you’re right. I think I liked Mila’s class better, if I’m being honest. Do you think I should switch?” Victor snaps out of his daydreaming with that, his shoulders slump. He can’t look at Yuuri in the eye.

“Oh, yeah, I think we could, uh… yeah, we can arrange that.” Yuuri laughs at that and Victor can’t possibly understand why.

“I’m kidding. Oh my god, I’m sorry.” Yuuri covers his mouth with his hands, and Victor looks back at him to see a big smile plastered on his face. His shoulders shaking with the laughter he’s trying to contain. Victor lets out a sigh of relief and lets him continue. “I was dying in that class, are you kidding? That room made me feel like a cookie being baked. I am still surprised I survived.” It’s Victor’s turn to laugh, and he doesn’t hold back. He throws his head back and one of his hands flies up to hug his tummy. Yuuri nudges him. “Come on, give me a break, I am _new_!” Victor wipes a tear out of one eye and sighs contentedly.

“I guess you’re more of an ice kind of guy, right?” Yuuri’s chuckle could feed a whole country. It is sweet and full of glee. “Give me a second; we need to get out of here so we can close up.” Yuuri looks around. He hadn’t noticed everyone else was already gone. It was so easy to get caught up in Victor. Just being around him felt like being hugged, and Yuuri enjoyed that feeling without the discomfort of actually being touched. He picks up his own things, as Victor goes back to the end of the room to get his. They walk out to the waiting room together and before Yuuri can say goodbye after giving his mat to Sara, Victor grabs him by the arm. “Yuuri, can I–“ he looks nervous again, all of a sudden. He closes his eyes and inhales before continuing “can I have your number?” he lets go of Yuuri, and watches as a million emotions fight to take over the other man’s face.

“I… you– you want my number?” Yuuri looks a bit confused and Victor thinks he sounds angry, but he can’t tell.

“Yes,” he confirms, as confidently as he can and offers his unlocked phone.

“Uh, sure, okay” Yuuri says, as he takes the phone. Victor watches as he taps in the digits, a smile spreading across his face. Yuuri gives the phone back to Victor, says goodbye to everyone and practically sprints out the door. He doesn’t miss Victor yelling ‘I’ll text you’ after him. He blushes all the way to his and Phichit’s apartment.

Victor doesn’t wait for Yuuri to be out of sight to send him a text.

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

Hi, Yuuri! This is Victor :D [21:03]

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“He did _what_?” Phichit is just as shocked as Yuuri. And just as excited, maybe more if possible. Yuuri can’t answer, and instead shows him the text Victor sent almost immediately after he bolted out the door. “Yuuri, oh my god!” Phichit’s hands are all over the place; over his mouth, covering his face, over his heart, around Yuuri. “What are you going to say?”

“I don’t know, what do you even reply to that?” he says, taking another look at the message.

“I can’t believe this. You need to say something before he thinks you gave him the wrong number, or that you’d rather not talk.” Yuuri knows. He just can’t think of anything to say, dizzy from both hunger and an overwhelming feeling he can’t name. They decide to forget about it for the moment and focus on the pizza sitting in front of them.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

**To:** Victor

Hi Victor :) sorry I didn’t reply earlier [21:42]  
I got busy with food [21:42]  
I think class made me hungrier than usual actually [21:42]  
anyways [21:42]  
 I have an early morning tomorrow, see you later! [21:43]

**From:** Victor

[22:47] Good night, Yuuri :)

 

Victor lies on his bed, sighing and smiling, unable to sleep. He sends Yuuri a goodnight text and places it on his bedside table, giving up on clutching the device against his chest. He turns to cuddle Makkachin instead.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Victor tries –and fails miserably– to keep himself from texting Yuuri when he wakes up. He dreamt of his warm smile and the golden of his eyes when the light hits them just right.

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

Good morning Yuuri ☼ [5:17]  
I hope you have a very nice day :D [5:17]

Yuuri is surprised when his phone buzzes just as he is getting out of bed. He is glad to be alone in his dark room when he sees who sent the message. When he reads the message he is sure he’s blushing, his whole face feels hot.

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[5:21] Good morning Victor :)  
[5:21] I don’t mean to be rude but  
[5:22] what are you doing up so early?

Victor smiles at his phone, behind his coffee mug. Yurio gives him an odd look but doesn’t comment on it, shuffling back out of the kitchen and to his room.

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

well I have to take my little cousin to the rink [5:23]  
he’s a skater just like u!! [5:23]  
 and I usually stay there until it’s time for my class [5:23]  
 wbu? [5:24]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[5:24] oh really? that’s so cool  
[5:24] what’s his name? do I know him?

Yuuri briefly wonders why Victor seems to be surrounded by skaters. He decides to dwell on it on a different day. Not when he is actively texting Victor. It could all be purely coincidental.

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

his name is yuri [5:25]  
he’s skating for the first time this season :D [5:25]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[5:25] :O  
[5:26] that’s my name!  
[5:26] tell him I said good luck :D

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

I will :D [5:26]

“Yura,” Victor half-shouts, down the hall. “Yuuri wishes you good luck on your skating season” The only response is a huff coming from Yurio’s bedroom.

“Who’s Yuuri?” he asks when he comes back to the kitchen.

“Uuh…” Victor says as his fingers move swiftly across the keyboard.

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

he’s asking me who u r what do I say how do I impress him [5:27]

Yuuri laughs, and wonders why Victor would want to impress his own cousin. He sighs thinking about letting Victor down. He’s not impressive by any means.

**From:** Yuuri

[5:28] :o he probably doesn’t know me

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

how can he not know u?? [5:28]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥  
[5:28] just tell him I’m also a skater  
[5:29] not all skaters know each other Victor  
[5:29] …

Victor settles for: “Yuuri is my student, and he’s also a skater.”

“Wait,” Yurio says, slamming the fridge door and turning to look at him. Victor can almost see the cogs working inside his brain. “Yuuri what? What’s his last name, Victor?”

“Oooh, good question. I don’t know.” Yurio gives an exasperated sigh and goes back to rummaging the fridge, much too focused on getting something to eat before they have to leave for the rink. The chances of it being _the_ Yuuri texting Victor at ungodly hours of the morning are practically nonexistent anyways.

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

but u n chris know each other!! [5:30]  
how many rinks can there be in this city [5:30]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[5:31] just 3  
[5:31] I have to go, have a nice day Victor

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

bye! talk later :) [5:32]

Victor wears a smile for the rest of the day. He can’t text Yuuri as much as he’d like to because their schedules don’t match up during the day so whenever he sends a message it stays unanswered for a while, and when he gets one back he can’t answer for hours either. It’s not optimal but he will take what he can get.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Yuuri learns Victor’s schedule within the first week. Phichit makes sure to call him out on it when he teasingly says Yuuri should text Victor about the cute dog they see on their way home from the rink and Yuuri just says Victor wouldn’t see it because he has classes at that time.

Victor’s favorite thing to learn about Yuuri is that he has a poodle back home. His name is Vicchan and he looks exactly like Makkachin just a smaller, male version. Victor shows the pictures to everyone, and tells Chris that this must be a sign that they are perfect for each other. The blonde laughs but doesn’t contradict him. Victor even shows Makkachin the pictures, claiming that Vicchan will soon be her brother. Yurio witnesses the whole scene and is unable to help the gag that escapes him. Victor gives him an accusative look but lets him get away with it.

 The first thing Yuuri learns about Victor’s day-to-day is that one of his students, seventy-year old Helena, flirts with him on a daily basis. Victor claims she’s the sweetest ‘abuela’ he’s met (she brings him tamales every time her grandkids come over). She goes to his 9am class all week and from the way she moves, you would never know her age.

Victor wants to know everything he can get Yuuri to tell him. He practically interrogates the younger man. It works wonders though; he can’t feel guilty about it. Yuuri is a business major, he’s in his third year but luckily for Victor he might need an extra year to graduate. Yuuri is planning to go back home eventually, and run his family’s onsen (he has to google ‘onsen’ the first three times Yuuri mentions it).

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

so…Yuuri [15:32]  
did u see a lot of naked people growing up? [15:32]  
'( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) [15:32]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[15:34] oh god  
[15:35] uhm… I guess I did?  
[15:35] I didn’t spend that much time at the onsen but yeah, I guess… the amount of naked people I saw was  
[15:36] above average??

The first time victor mentions Makkachin, Yuuri cries. Phichit finds him sitting in front of the T.V., one hand clutching his phone, the other over his eyes behind his glasses.

“Yuuri?” he asks, tentatively. Yuuri looks up to his friend, tries to compose himself but decides to just show Phichit the pictures.

“Look at her, Phichit! She’s such a good, happy girl!”

“Oh,” is the first response he gets. “She looks just like Vicchan.” Phichit sits next to Yuuri, pulling him into a hug, letting him cry into his shoulder, rubbing his back.

“I know.” Yuuri says between sobs.

“Maybe you can call Mari tonight.”

Yuuri does, it distracts him during practice but he calls Mari during dinner and saying hi to Vicchan makes him feel a lot better. The dog barks at him through the screen. Yuuri dreams about playing with him.

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

ok don’t freak out but [12:47]  
I think yura has a poster of u in his bedroom [12:47]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[14:05] uhm what

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

I swear [14:07]    
I saw it this morning but it was dark so I can’t b sure [14:07]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[14:08] alright yeah sure

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

Yuuri!! [14:08]  
I’m 100% serious!! [14:09]  
</3 [14:09]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[14:09] I’ll believe it when I see it

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

that’s not fair he never lets me in his room :( [14:10]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[14:11] I guess that means u have no proof  
[14:12] plus  
[14:12] why would he even have a poster of me??

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

bc ur a fantastic skater? [14:13]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[14:13] You’ve never seen me skate

**To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

u dnt know that [14:14]

**From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[14:14] ?????  
[14:15] ?????  
[15:56] victor?????

“Phichit I can’t go back.” Yuuri tells his friend right before they have to leave for their yoga classes.

“What? Why not?” Phichit stops, holding the door open, he looks sympathetic but he’s not letting Yuuri get out of this. “What did you do this time?” he asks.

“It wasn’t me! We–I…” Yuuri stands outside their apartment, looking at his feet. “He said he spent hours watching videos of me skating.” He says it like it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to him, and his friend just laughs.

“Oh my god, that’s amazing! Do you think he saw the Lohengrin?”

Yuuri gasps “Phichit! I hadn’t even thought about that.” his face visibly falls.

Phichit manages to convince Yuuri to go back, and he laughs the whole way to the studio. Yuuri doesn’t let himself look at Victor for longer than a few seconds at a time, to avoid locking eyes and have that somehow cause Victor to talk to Yuuri about his routines. Phichit is in Mila’s class, but Yuuri drags him out as soon as their sessions are over, barely giving him time to say goodbye.  The Thai man laughs again all the way to the gym, unable to say all of his jokes out loud without being overcome with laughter.

Mila notices the both of them running away before Victor is out of his classroom, so she goes in to tell him the bad news. Victor takes it surprisingly well.

“Ah, I figured.” He sighs, and finishes rolling his mat. “He trains so hard, Mila. I’m lucky he even comes here.” He adds with a smile. Mila doesn’t say anything as she turns to go back to her classroom and catches Georgi clutching his chest, looking on the verge of tears.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The following week is a lot more hectic. Yuuri is about to start midterms and with the little time he has to study, he gets very stressed very fast. He has an accounting exam on Wednesday for which he feels everything but ready, so he cancels his class on Monday, thinking maybe the extra study hour may help. Victor is so sad when he reads the text, he almost cancels his class. Georgi has to talk him out of it and they both end up hugging in the staff room. Nobody dares talk to them for the next two hours.

Celestino lets Yuuri cut his training hours too, but it doesn’t amount to much. Tuesday doesn’t get any better.

**From:** Victor

[13:17] hey, do u want a makeup class today?  
[13:18] my treat ;)

**To:** Victor

No, thanks though [14:03]

It’s an understatement to say Victor is disappointed.

**From:** Victor

[14:04] r u sure? It could help u relax?  
[14:05] Georgi’s classes r great I promise  
[14:05] tell u what, I’ll go with

**To:** Victor

I’m sorry I really can’t make it :( [14:06]  
I’ll go tomorrow, promise [14:06]

**From:** Victor

[14:07] it’s ok  
[14:07] good luck!

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Victor goes to the rink with Yurio in the evening, as usual. Yakov asks him what’s wrong, but he doesn’t say anything, and puts on a fake smile. Yurio approaches them on the barrier.

“Is it that Yuuri guy? What did he do?” he asks in a rough tone.

“Yuuri? “ Yakov echoes “Who’s Yuuri?”

“Some college guy Victor has a crush on.” Yurio explains

“Yura,” Victor begins softly, “he’s not just some guy, he could be the love of my life. And he didn’t do anything, I’m fine.”

“Vitya,” Yakov says, putting a hand on the man’s shoulder. “you can’t let a guy get you down like this. What happened?”

“Nothing, I mean it. I just,” he sighs “I miss him, okay?”

“What?” Yurio exclaims “Didn’t you see him yesterday? Aren’t you gonna see him tomorrow?”

“No,” Victor sighs, leaning down on the barrier. “He cancelled because he needed to study for an exam he has tomorrow. And yeah, he promised to go to class tomorrow… I just wish he’d give himself time to rest.”

Yakov scoffs at that “Right, like you ever gave yourself time to rest” he says. Victor turns to look at him, almost scandalized.

“I do, now!” he argues.

“Now, yes.” Yakov concedes, “but not when you were in his place” he adds nodding towards Yurio. Victor sighs, knowing it’s true. He decides to give up on feeling sorry for himself and goes to get his skates and join Yurio on the ice. They stay almost an hour longer than scheduled, but no one complains.

 

 

* * *

 

+

 

 

The sun goes down just as Yuuri decides he will need some caffeine in his system. An hour later he regrets that decision. He’s had at least double the caffeine he should have, and now, instead of helping him stay up to study, it’s making him anxious and jittery. The notebook full of notes is shaking before his eyes. His own breath is starting to come uneven and shallow. He can feel his eyes begin to water as his mind races. Is that his heartbeat in his ears? That can’t be good. The buzzing of his phone snaps him out for just a second.

**From:** Victor

[21:12] good luck on your test tomorrow!!  
[21:12] make sure you get some rest :D

**To:** Victor

i dnt think im gonna maek it [21:13]

The answer is almost immediate, but it worries Victor more than no reply at all. It doesn’t sound like Yuuri’s usual self.

**From:** Victor

[21:13] Yuuri? r u ok?  
[21:15] YUURI????

The text sits unread for various minutes, before Victor decides to call Yuuri. It goes to voicemail. Victor tries again. Yuuri picks up this time, but stays silent on the other end of the line.

“Yuuri?” Victor tries. He receives a sob for an answer. “Are you okay? What happened?”

Yuuri can’t breathe. The sobs feel like they’re tearing his ribcage apart, pulling in two different directions at once. He hates himself for letting Victor hear him like this.

“Yuuri, it’s okay, I’m here. You’re okay. Breathe with me.” Victor says firmly but his voice is soothing. He inhales loudly, deeply, and Yuuri tries to follow. “Okay, I want you to hold it now: four…three...two... and let it out slowly and with a sigh. Can you do that?”

Yuuri nods his head, unaware that Victor can’t see him and does as instructed.

“… three… four. Perfect,” Victor praises, “let’s do a few more, yeah?” He inhales again, and Yuuri follows. They stay like that for a few minutes; Victor guiding Yuuri’s breathing, counting for him and gently praising him every time he exhales, Yuuri following, without saying a word.

Yuuri calms down, and then composes himself enough to whisper a small “thank you” through the line.

Victor feels relief wash over him when he finally hears the other man’s voice.

“Better?” he asks, “do you want to do a few more?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you again.” Yuuri sounds calm, but distant and it worries Victor.

“Don’t worry about it, are you sure you don’t want to do a few more?” he insists.

“I’m fine, Victor. Really”

“Do you…” Victor hesitates, “Do you want to talk about it?” There’s a soft sigh from the other end. 

“I guess you do deserve to know–”

“No,” he interrupts quickly. “I don’t need to know. If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay. As long as you feel better, I don’t care.”

“I–” Yuuri is surprised by Victor’s reaction, but mostly he’s thankful and he wants to make sure the other knows that. “Thanks, Victor.” He pauses for a second, hesitant, and a voice in his head tells him he might feel better if he talks about it with someone. Even if that someone is his yoga teacher… the yoga teacher he’s crushing on big time. “It’s this damned accounting exam. I barely know what an asset is and my professor is such a pain in the ass” he sighs “I don’t want to fail, Victor. And I– I just got so overwhelmed and I drank so many caffeinated drinks thinking they might help me focus but it all got a bit out of control,” he admits.

At that exact moment, Victor wants to reach out through the phone to hug Yuuri and never let him go. The fact that he didn’t expect Yuuri to open up only intensifies the warm sensation spreading through his chest when he does.

“Yuuri, I think you should go to bed now,” he says, schooling his voice to keep it calm.

“You know I can’t. I still need to go over more than half my notes.”

“Listen to me,” Victor says, as softly as he can. “You’re not gonna get anything done right now. Go to bed now, and study tomorrow morning. Are you training in the morning?”

“Yeah”

“And you have US History after that, right?”

“Uhm, yes” Yuuri decides to ignore the fact that Victor might know his schedule as well as he knows his.

“Can you skip it? Can you study in those hours, after breakfast and before your exam?”

“I think so, yeah. But–“

“No buts, go to bed. Now. I’m not hanging up until you’re asleep,”

“Victor, it’s barely nine thirty,” Yuuri complains.

“I’m serious,” Victor deadpans. He can hear Yuuri sigh, but then there’s some shuffling of papers and there’s a click he can only assume is the light switch.

“Alright. I’m in bed and the lights are off. Goodnight, Victor, talk to you later”

“Yuuri, I’m not leaving until you’re asleep, remember?” Victor says in a low tone.

“You can’t be serious.” Yuuri says, puffing air out of his nose. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen any time soon,” he confesses.

“I can tell you a bedtime story.” This time Yuuri’s laughter is loud and Victor knows he’s already feeling better. “Okay, maybe not a bedtime story… oh, you missed yesterday’s class!” he exclaims, and the smile on his face must be huge, Yuuri thinks. “Yurio showed up with a friend. Ah, you could’ve met him; maybe he’ll do that again. Anyways, let me tell you everything. He shows up, looking like he couldn’t care less. And his friend, Beka, who’s really good looking, by the way–”

“Victor? Is this the story of how you went to prison?” he teases

“Shut up, Beka is sixteen.”

“Still a minor, Victor.” Yuuri chides, and Victor couldn’t care less because he’s lost count of how many times Yuuri has said his name in this conversation but every single time it makes his heart melt.

“Whatever, all you need to know is Beka looked at Yura like he put the stars in the sky, Yuuri. It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. Turns out Beka also trains with Yakov, so I’m sure they see a lot of each other. Yuuri, I think my Yura has a crush.” Yuuri laughs, and that’s all Victor need to realize he is definitely falling for the man who stumbled into his life, dragged to his yoga class by his best friend to whom Victor is _so_ thankful.

“Victor, I really don’t think Yuri appreciates you telling me all of this, no matter how much you’re trying to put me to sleep.”

“Yuuri!” Victor says, and Yuuri can almost see him put a hand over his heart. “You’re right, though. Well, then… how about I tell you about Pranayama?”

“Uh– what?”

“Okay, ‘Prana’ is Sanskrit for ‘life force’, it’s all cosmic energy. In yoga, pranayama, basically is all the different breathing techniques” He can hear Yuuri exhale loudly, but he doesn’t drop it. “Listen, I don’t care if you don’t believe in all this. It will put you to sleep. I could go on for hours and that thing we did when I called you? That’s called _Sama vittri,_ it’s used to calm the nervous system.” Yuuri hums, not daring to argue. Victor continues, and Yuuri let’s himself be lulled by his silken voice.

Victor’s voice grows softer and lower, and by the time he’s explaining the umpteenth breathing technique, Yuuri’s been quiet for a while and his breaths are now even. Victor stops talking, but doesn’t hang up. He stays there for a while and when he feels his eyes begin to droop, he wishes Yuuri a good night, turns to cuddle Makkachin and smiles into her fur.

 

  

 +

* * *

 

 

When Yuuri wakes up the next day, he feels refreshed. There’s no anxiety left and any that might appear is quickly skated away. Celestino congratulates him, saying he looks a lot better than the past few weeks. That boosts Yuuri’s confidence even more. He has more than enough time to enjoy his breakfast and study all he needs to know for his midterm. He knows it will not be perfect, but by the time he’s walking to the lecture hall, he feels surprisingly good. Victor texts him just before he walks in.

**From:** Victor

[11:53] good luck, Yuuri :D :D  
[11:53] not that you need it, I know ur gonna do GREAT!!!

Yuuri smiles down at his phone before putting it away. He smiles again when he walks out an hour and a half later and re-reads the text.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all, thank you so much for reading this??? I am still shook that anybody would even read this aaaahhh <3  
> Let me know what you think, I wanna know !!  
> [my tumblr](https://trenazlore.tumblr.com)  
> PS: would u like a little side story about that whole PDG thing from last chapter??? ~~i'll probably write it anyways but it's good to know~~


	4. Lion's Breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i meant to update this way earlier but we're here now and that's all that matters  
> anyways i had to split this chapter bc it turned out a lot longer than expected??? why am i like this??  
> please enjoy!! <33

Yuuri is in a haze-like state of mind from the moment he walks out of his exam until he steps into the yoga studio later that day. He goes about his routine as usual; he eats, studies, goes to his other classes, and to the rink but all he can think about is how happy and relieved he is now that the exam is in the past. The worst seems to be over.

He’s early to class, not entirely on purpose but it’s not entirely coincidental either. He has learned to appreciate the soothing effects yoga has on him. _Maybe it’s just being near Victor_ , he thinks but he quickly swats the thought away. They are friends now; he can’t go about having inappropriate thoughts about his friend _and_ teacher. Not that they are inappropriate, really. Yuuri just wants to kiss Victor’s knuckles, cuddle next to him to watch a movie or just run his hands through that silver hair… just to check if it’s as soft as it looks.  Maybe a peck on the cheek. Yuuri sighs with the realization that he’s in deeper than he’s willing to admit. He’s got it real bad and he can’t do anything about it.

Yuuri steps into the studio just a moment later, and his expression changes from one of despair to a bright smile when he spots Victor chatting with Sara behind the front desk. He greets them cheerfully and when Sara gives him a mat she asks how his exam went.

“Uh, it was alright, I think.” Yuuri answers, hesitant. Sara notices, and goes on to explain.

“This one,” she says pointing to Victor with her thumb “has been going on about you all day. He was really worried, y’know? Don’t know why though, you look great, Yuuri.” Yuuri turns to look at Victor and he can see the faintest pink on his cheeks. He’s looking at Sara like she betrayed him and Yuuri doesn’t think he’s ever seen a sight so beautiful. Stray silver hairs cover part of the blushing and one wide-open eye but Yuuri can see the expression on his face nonetheless.

Victor has never been speechless up until now. His brain can’t seem to decide whether he should address Yuuri’s exam, or Sara’s remarks first. He doesn’t think he can even look at Yuuri right now, what must he think? Why did he think it was a good idea to tell anyone at all what was on his mind? He’s trying to telepathically ask Sara what the hell is up but she doesn’t seem to be getting the message, giving Yuuri a soft smile, so he gives up and addresses Yuuri, still not turning to face him directly.

 “W–well I was worried about… I was worried the anxiety would come back, you know? I– uh… so it was good, then?” Victor wants to disappear into the ground beneath him. He wants it to open up and swallow him whole. He wants to crawl under the desk and cancel class for the next three weeks. Of course the only person he can’t talk coherently to is Yuuri. Beautiful, doe-eyed Yuuri, who comes to class after practice already looking a bit tired, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that somehow make him look like he was sent from heaven. No one else could ever look that good in those clothes.

“Yeah, I think so. I was definitely in a much better state of mind.” Yuuri says, with what he thinks is a reassuring smile, but Victor hasn’t so much as glanced at him. His eyes are fixed on a piece of paper he’s folding delicately. “I’ll head in now, make sure I stay warm for class,” he adds before walking away down the hallway. Victor looks up a second too late, all he can see is Yuuri’s back and slightly slumped shoulders as he walks away.

“Victor, what the actual fuck?” Sara is giving him the most incredulous look, leaning in a bit.

“That bad, huh?” he answers with a soft chuckle.

“It could have been a lot better, yeah. You froze and now he thinks you don’t like him! You should’ve seen his face, the poor boy,” she groans and throws her head back. “I mean, he has no idea you’ve been running your mouth about his goddamned smile that make his eyes look like tiny stars,” she says with her best Victor impression. “I swear if you don’t ask that boy out soon, I _will_ do it for you.” Sara sighs resting her chin on her hand.

Victor is stunned into silence, he had no idea he’s been talking about Yuuri that much. He loses track of time trying to recall the conversation Sara is talking about. Eventually Phichit walks in, bright smile and peace sign in tow. He asks about Yuuri, and Sara tells him he’s in Victor classroom. Victor gives a half-wave, still lost in his mental run-through of the past week and every time he’d mentioned Yuuri. It’s a lot. He’s talked about him with everyone he knows. He even told the barista at his favorite coffee place. Sara nudges him softly and tells him it’s time for class.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri tries to look at Victor only when strictly necessary, to make sure his postures are not skewed or anything. Halfway through the session when Victor tells them to open their mouths, stick their tongues out and look up before exhaling Yuuri thinks he’s joking, but he’s not.

“Yuuri,” he calls out and a few stares turn his way “mouth open, tongue out, eyes toward your third eye, then you exhale through your mouth, I want to hear it” Victor says, and after a pause, he goes to set the example. “I know you might feel silly,” he adds, addressing the whole class now, “but that’s exactly why we’re doing it. I want you all to forget about what others think, build some confidence, let yourselves go, _be_ silly. Let’s do it four more times, okay?” and they do. Even though Yuuri _did_ feel like the silliest man alive, when he looks around the classroom there are fifteen other people looking just as silly as he does, and that is enough for him to forget about it and enjoy the rest of the session.

When the class is over, Yuuri rolls up his mat, takes his water bottle and waits for Victor at the door. He kindly smiles and says goodbye to his classmates as they walk past him. He stands there for a few minutes, watching as Victor does a few extra stretches, and gathers up a few things his students left laying around. He doesn’t notice Yuuri waiting for a while. Not until he’s finally picking up his mat, and sees his reflection in the mirror. Yuuri thinks his eyes look just as bright as and maybe even bluer than they did the first time they met. He’s trying to decide what color they are _… like the sea on a sunny day. No, more like the sky when it’s clear. Hmm… but there’s a hint of ice; like the one in the glaciers they show in documentaries. That thick ice that lets the sun kind of go through and it looks so beautiful and so blue. His eyes are so pretty. He is so cute. Fuck, he’s looking at me. Was I staring?_

Victor is looking at Yuuri, and Yuuri seems to be looking at Victor, but his mind must be somewhere else entirely because he’s not saying anything, he’s just staring blankly ahead in his general direction. Victor finishes picking up his stuff, ignoring the butterflies beginning to take flight in his stomach, and walks over to him, just as he shakes his head. Victor thinks it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen, like a puppy trying to wake up. He is sure he has these thoughts about Yuuri every time they meet. Yuuri scratches the back of his neck, trying to find the right words to say.

“Victor,” he starts, and Victor loses any sort control over the treacherous butterflies in his stomach as soon as he hears his name roll out of Yuuri’s mouth. “I, uh, I just wanted to thank you, again, for” he sighs, and it pains Victor to see him struggling to talk to him like this. “You know, for everything you did last night.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Victor can see Mila, Georgi, and Phichit bring their conversation to a sudden stop, not-so-discreetly looking over to Yuuri and himself from the hall. _If they were dogs, their ears would turn our way_. He ignores them; he needs to focus on Yuuri. That task turns out to be surprisingly easy. He smiles at him, because he can’t help it when Yuuri looks like that. He looks vulnerable and Victor knows he can’t just hug him and pepper kisses all over his face, so smiling is the next best thing.

“Yuuri, it was nothing. All that matters is that you’re okay. I mean it,” and he does, he really, truly does, but he can’t confess his feelings just so Yuuri believes him. So, once again he settles for the next best thing: “Don’t be afraid to call me if this happens again. Please, _please_ don’t hesitate to call me, no matter what.”

“Thanks, Victor. I think I’ll be fine. That was definitely the worst exam. I just…” Yuuri averts his gaze, now looking just behind Victor and to the left. “I’m sorry if– I didn’t mean to inconvenience you.”

“Yuuri, stop that,” Victor says, and his voice is firmer now, but Yuuri can tell it’s not ill-intended. He really can’t apologize forever. “It’s fine, really,” Victor decides maybe teasing Yuuri a bit might take off the edge. “Did you know you snore?” Yuuri’s head snaps to look at him wide-eyed, before he even finishes the question, his mouth opening and closing again a couple of times. “Don’t worry about it, though. You have the cutest snore I have ever heard. It’s like…” he pauses, tapping a finger to his chin in his search for the best analogy “like a puppy’s snore. The cutest puppy snore,” he says with a smile.

Yuuri feels as if all his blood was shot up to his face and the rest of his body was submerged in freezing water. He knows he is blushing, because there’s just no other way to react to what Victor just said. He decides to not think too much about the fact that he fell asleep and Victor stayed on the phone long enough for him to hear him snore. He’s frozen in place, speechless, and blushing in front of a smiling deity. Then, as if it as coming through a wall, he can hear the familiar sound of Phichit trying to stifle his laughter. It eventually breaks out when he says that everything Victor said is true.

Yuuri turns to glare at him, half-grateful for the interruption, half-disgruntled that he was eavesdropping, completely embarrassed that his best friend agrees with Victor. In his embarrassment, he doesn’t notice the way Georgi is clutching his heart with one hand, the other covering his mouth. Mila is more discreet, just looking at them with a soft gaze, trying to sneak a picture of them because the way they look at each other is out of this world and maybe if she can show that to Victor he will finally ask Yuuri out instead of tormenting everyone with stories of his golden-brown eyes and his perfect nose.

 

* * *

  

 

Victor sends Yuuri a good luck text before each exam for the rest of his mid-terms.

Yuuri knows Victor is going out of his way to do this because he is usually unavailable at those hours. It makes his heart feel warm and fuzzy, but he doesn’t let himself be distracted. He doesn’t want to look too far beyond a simple text message. He knows Victor was worried; he said it himself. It can’t mean much more than that but Yuuri takes what he can get. He is thankful for each time his phone buzzes just as he’s about to walk into his lecture halls. It helps him relax, take a few calming breaths and focus on the task at hand. He feels like he does better than he would without the texts. He makes sure to send back a quick ‘thanks’ or a thumbs up emoji every time.

Victor had set up alarms after asking Yuuri when the rest of his exams were taking place. They go off ten minutes before the exams are meant to start so Victor has enough time to stop whatever he’s doing at the moment and send a good luck text. He takes his phone with him into the classroom for a whole week, just to make sure he doesn’t miss any of his alarms and he somehow manages to not interrupt any of his classes abruptly and sneak a text here and there. Yuuri replies every time and just that makes Victor’s face warm up and the corner of his lips curve into a small smile.

Yuuri gets his accounting grade back exactly a week after the exam. He almost yelps when he sees the result, he knows he owes that number partially to Victor and texts him as soon as his professor dismisses the class.

Victor’s phone buzzes and he’s already thinking of what variation of ‘good luck’ he should use when he realizes it’s not an alarm but a text from the man himself. He smiles as he feels something tug at his heart.

 **From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[13:54] Victor I did it!  
[13:54] I got an 84 on my accounting exam!!! :D

Victor is ecstatic. Not only because Yuuri did well on his exam, but because he’s obviously the first person Yuuri texted. His heart does little jumps inside his chest and he’s smiling so wide down at his phone he almost crashes into a lamppost. Luckily, no one sees him.

 **To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

!!!! [13:54]  
Yuuri, that’s fantastic! [13:54]  
I knew you could do it! :D :D :D [13:54]  
I’m so happy for you! [13:55]

 

 

* * *

  

 

“YUURI!”

The moment Yuuri walks through the studio doors; he’s tackled back a few feet. He barely registers his name being half-shouted when a body smacks against his own. He closes his eyes, either bracing for impact against the floor or as a reaction to the shouting; he doesn’t know. He only stumbles, though, thanks to the pair of arms wrapped around his waist. When he inhales in relief all he can smell is cinnamon all around. His eyes flutter open, looking for the source of the impact. A strand of silver hair rests on his nose. Yuuri’s shoulders immediately relax and he lets himself smile as he hugs Victor back.

None of them say anything for a little while, allowing themselves to indulge in the hug. They don’t know how long they stay like that, but it’s definitely longer than a normal hug.

(Later they learn it was long enough for Mila and Phichit to take pictures.)

“Congratulations, Yuuri. I knew you’d do great” Victor speaks first, reluctantly letting go of Yuuri.

“Thanks, Victor,” Yuuri says chuckling a little, one hand scratching the back of his neck. “I honestly couldn’t have done it without you,” he says looking down with a shy smile.

“No, Yuuri, this was all you.” Victor’s words are so soft, Yuuri dares look up. He is met with an inexplicable sweetness in the other man’s eyes. It reminds him of Hasetsu’s sea in the summer; he can almost smell the salt and hear the soft rocking of the waves. His breath catches.****

“You’re forgetting you’re the one who sent me to bed. Actually waited for me to fall asleep, you,” Yuuri counters with a soft chuckle. “Accept my thanks for that and for all the good luck texts. I tried extra hard to not let you down,” he adds. Victor freezes at Yuuri’s confession. He wonders if it would be alright to hug him again, maybe he shouldn’t have let go in the first place. It’s too late now, either way; class is about to start. He tells Yuuri it was no problem and nudges him so they walk together to the classroom. Yuuri stops to ask Sara for a mat and Victor waits for him a few steps ahead. A comfortable silence sits between them in the few meters they walk together. Yuuri smiles softly at the ground while Victor struggles to not take his hand. It’s a lot harder than he would have ever thought.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri doesn’t wait for Victor at the door again. He goes out to give his borrowed mat back to Sara and comes back to help Victor pick up the stray items some of the students left behind. Victor tries to contain his smile, but he can do nothing about the furious flush that goes from the tips of his ears and down into his shirt. Of course Yuuri is still trying to thank him. He stopped being vocal about it because Victor told him to stop but now he’s doing it with his actions. He can’t help but wonder what it is he did to deserve even meeting Yuuri.

“Yuuri,” he says, picking up the last yoga block. Yuuri turns to look at him, a little startled by the sound. It’s that sight, Yuuri covered in a layer of sweat, hair disheveled, glasses hanging low on his nose, that makes Victor change his mind about what he was about to say. He returns the block to its place in the back of the room and takes the few steps that separate him from Yuuri.

“Guys, come on, we gotta lock up! Plus, Sara and I are starving, please hurry” they hear Mila’s voice grow louder as she walks down the hall and into the classroom. She finds them standing silently in the middle of the room barely a feet from each other, heads turned to the door. Surprisingly, Mila blushes first, stutters out an apology and walks back out covering her face with her hands, trying to keep an excited yelp from coming out.

Yuuri, confused by Mila’s reaction, turns back to look at Victor, realizing he’s a lot closer than he thought. Yuuri has to tilt his head up to look at him. From this close, Yuuri can catch a whiff of the same cinnamon scent again, now mixed with a bit of sweat. Neither of them takes a step back, but they’re not speaking either. Victor closes his eyes, his mind is racing and the courage he thought he had gathered dissipated with Mila’s interruption. He takes a slow breath and opens his eyes. Yuuri is still staring at him, like he’s waiting for something. Victor decides it’s now or never.

“Yuuri, would you like to…” another breath “go out with me?” His voice is higher than usual, but he hopes Yuuri will not comment on it. He’s stiffened, frozen in place looking at Victor with surprise clearly written all over his features. “You know,” he quickly adds, “to– uh… to celebrate that you made it through midterms?” that last part comes out as a question. Victor didn’t mean to say it, but he also didn’t want to scare Yuuri off. He’s giving him a way out.

Yuuri wants to ask if Victor means it as a date. He also wants to kiss Victor’s forehead until the frown that’s sitting there goes away. He doesn’t do either of those things.

“Um… yeah, sure,” he says and hates himself for it. The voice inside his head is freaking out, yelling: _is this a date? Is Victor asking you out on a date?_

Victor’s frown disappears and his eyes shine twice as bright. He looks at Yuuri with hopeful eyes and a heart-shaped smile that shouldn’t be able to fit his face. He briefly wonders if Yuuri said yes to the original question or to the second part, but doesn’t dare push his luck. Yuuri thinks he’s okay with this even if it’s not a date. It’s worth the look on Victor’s face.

“Guh–Great!” Victor says, walking over to pick up his mat and happily strutting back to meet Yuuri at the door. Yuuri is too stunned, still trying to figure out this man, to say anything. Victor is too focused on the fact that Yuuri said yes to say anything else. They meet with Phichit, Sara and Mila in the waiting room.

The three of them sigh or groan as soon as the pair steps into the room, as if saying ‘finally’. Phichit drags Yuuri out, talking about dinner and his quickly drying sweat. Victor snaps out of his happy haze when he realizes they didn’t exactly plan anything, they just agreed to ‘go out’.

“Yuuri, I’ll text you the deets!” he yells after him and Mila immediately cackles, doubling over. Sara just stares at him as a deep red blush spreads all over his face.

“Did you–” Mila has to focus on not laughing before she can speak. “Did you just say ‘deets’?” she asks before another burst of laughter takes over her. She stops to catch her breath and wipe at the tears forming in her eyes.

“Shut up, I panicked.” Victor says, shocked at his own words. He takes a hand to his forehead, brushing his hair back. “I just… I lose my cool around Yuuri, okay?”

“Wow,” Sara says with a sigh, her eyes still wide from the shock. “I knew you had it bad but…” she looks around trying to find the right words “just… wow.”

“Let’s just go. Please,” Victor begs, stepping out the front door.

“Victor, I hope you know I’m telling Yurio,” Mila says letting Sara out before locking the door.

“Please, don’t” he says, taking Mila’s hands in his own. “I’ll take you guys out,” he offers hurriedly. Mila raises her eyebrows and looks at her girlfriend. Sara shrugs and suggests they all go get dinner. Victor pays for everything.

 

* * *

 

“Yuuri, is there something you want to tell me?” Phichit says, softly elbowing Yuuri. They have been walking in silence for two whole minutes and his friend hasn’t addressed the fact that Victor yelled something about texting Yuuri ‘the deets’ as they left the studio.

“Mmn?” Yuuri looks up at him like he has no clue what he’s talking about. Phichit knows that means he was too caught up in his own head to pay attention to the world around him.

“I said: is there something you want to tell me?” he repeats kindly.

“I– uh… I think Victor asked me out?” Yuuri says. His brows are furrowed and Phichit can tell he’s chewing on his cheek.

“Yuuri, that’s great!” he says jumping a little, then hesitates. “Wait, what do you mean you _think_? What did he say?”

“He… he asked if I wanted to go out with him but then he said it was to celebrate the end of midterms? Is that a... is that a date?” Yuuri explains, looking at his feet as he walks. Phichit hums and takes his chin between his index finger and thumb.

“I don’t know,” he answers truthfully. “I guess there’s only one way to find out” he adds with a wink.

“I already said yes, either way.”

“Yuuri, look at you! Getting busy with your hottest teacher!” Yuuri blushes and walks faster. He decides it’s time to change the subject to what they’re having for dinner and Phichit lets it slide because he _is_ very hungry after all.

 

* * *

 

Victor decides against ‘texting the deets’ because texting Yuuri is complicated with their schedules and he really wants this date to happen as soon as possible. He knows there’s a one-hour window when Yuuri doesn’t have classes or training. He calls him then.

“Hello?” Yuuri’s voice is rough and deeper than usual.

“Sorry, are you busy?” Victor asks, worried that just because Yuuri can text at this time doesn’t mean he can talk.

“Yeah, ‘m fine. Just woke up from my nap. What’s up?” he sounds very relaxed, calm; it’s a huge contrast to the last phone conversation they had. Did Yuuri say nap? Victor gets caught up in thoughts of Yuuri napping and how it must be the most endearing thing ever. He wonders if he has a bed head right now, or if he’s sleepily trying to find his glasses.

“Well, we never discussed what we were going to do…” Victor says, more like a question than a statement. “Or when, for that matter... I was thinking maybe coffee Saturday afternoon?”

Yuuri finally gets rid of the drowsiness that was still lurking over him. It all comes crashing down on him. He’s on the phone with Victor. Victor is trying to set up their date. _Is it a date?_

“Yuuri?” Victor says after a few seconds of static silence.

“Uh, yes, sorry.” he says, stumbling over his words. “Saturday sounds good but I’m not good with caffeine…” Victor winces because he should know that. He knows about Yuuri’s anxiety. He knows caffeine makes it worse. He’s trying to think of something when Yuuri interrupts his train of thoughts. “I could uh– I could cook dinner? If you are okay with that, I mean. You could come over or…” his voice fades out before he gets to the end of that sentence. He sounds hesitant but Victor can’t think of anything he’d want more.

“Yuuri, that sounds amazing!” he tries not yelling into the phone, but his heart is soaring and he has to let it out somehow. “Should I bring something? Do you want me to help you with the cooking?” Yuuri smiles at the thought of cooking with Victor. It sounds so domestic it makes him blush.

“Sure, you can come over. What would you like me to make?” he asks, so he can start putting a shopping list together.

“Oh no, no, no. Anything you want, Yuuri. Surprise me. Wait, no, I know!” Victor is trying to speak and keep up with his thoughts, which is not an easy feat considering his mind is currently going a mile a minute, fueled by the thought of Yuuri cooking for him. “Make me your favorite dish?” he finally says and Yuuri is so glad this is a phone conversation because he is blushing _hard_ ; hiding his face behind his hands even though there’s no one else in the apartment. Victor wants to try his favorite dish? But then, what if he doesn’t like it? He tries to laugh the nerves away.

“I know exactly what to make.”

“Great,” Victor says, and Yuuri can hear his smile. “How does 7pm sound?”

“Sounds good, see you Saturday?”

“Perfect, see you then.”

“Bye, Victor.”

“Bye, Yuuri. Have a great day!” he stops himself before accidentally saying ‘I love you’.

“Thanks, you too” Yuuri says with a chuckle and hangs up. He can’t remember ever feeling this good after a nap. He actually feels energized.

He can’t focus on his afternoon class that day. He skates thinking of Victor all of Friday. Celestino tells him whatever it is that has him skating like that he should keep it close. It makes Yuuri blush and Phichit wiggle his eyebrows suggestively. Celestino gives them a questioning look but Phichit just continues with his relentless teasing until Yuuri skates away, trying to drown his friend’s voice out with his program music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaahhh next chapter we get the date <3  
> are u screaming? i'm screaming, i'm so excited  
> it's gonna be super long i already have about 3k words and it's just getting started???  
> as always [come say hi](https://trenazlore.tumblr.com) <3  
> i love all of u let me know what u thought!! <33


	5. Peaceful Warrior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys, thank you so much for all the love you've given this fic it keeps me going <33  
> (what do u mean it's been over a month?? I'm sorry it took so long, life got in the way OTL)  
> Please enjoy THE DATE hehe <33

Saturday comes and Yuuri has to try his hardest to not let his nervousness show during Victor’s class. They smile at each other, but neither of them mention their date plans. If Victor notices how jumpy Yuuri is, he doesn’t say anything. Except, Victor can’t notice, because he’s blind with excitement. He had to arrive earlier to the studio, just to make sure he had some time to calm down and get himself together enough to teach class. He hadn’t considered he’d see Yuuri in class that morning, a few hours before their date. Knowing he’ll get to see him twice in one day just makes the butterflies in his stomach flap their wings that much harder.

They say their goodbyes after class, and Victor goes to cover the reception while Mila’s in class. The problem is Mila never comes out of class. It’s Georgi who comes out of her classroom. Victor has no idea why, and when the other explains that Mila woke up with a fever, Victor’s stomach drops.

Mila had agreed to look after Yurio while Victor was out with Yuuri. Sure, Victor _could_ leave Yurio alone, but he can’t stop thinking of all the things that could go horribly wrong. He can’t ask a thirteen-year-old to walk home alone from the rink after the sun has set. He could get lost. He could be hurt. Plus, Yurio is always hungry after training; he would want to stop somewhere to eat. Or, what if he tried cooking and burned down the kitchen? The apartment? On top of it all, Victor would feel guilty if Nikolai found out. He can’t let the old man down.

Victor feels lightheaded just thinking about cancelling his date. What will Yuuri think? What can he say so it doesn’t sound like Victor regrets asking him out and is backtracking? It’s already rude to cancel merely _hours_ before the date. Yuuri won’t ever say yes to him again. This is it, he took too long and now he’s paying the price. He will never be Yuuri’s boyfriend. Yuuri won’t even want to be friends anymore, won’t want to talk to him. _What if he doesn’t come back to class?_ Victor sighs, he knows Yuuri is at the rink and will be busy for a while. He can’t call.

 

 **To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

Yuuri [11:16]  
I’m so sorry I can’t go out today :’( [11:16]  
It’s nothing bad, promise. It’s just that Mila was supposed to look after Yura today but she’s feeling under the weather and I can’t leave him alone. I promised his grandpa :( [11:17]  
:((( [11:17]  
I’m v sorry i was rly looking forward to it  [11:18]  
can we reschedule? [11:18]

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri reads Victor’s texts during lunch break with his rink mates. His face visibly falls and Phichit doesn’t let a full second go by before asking him what is wrong. Yuuri hands him his phone to show him the texts, with a small pout sitting on his lips.

“Ah, yes, we had class with Georgi today. It was…interesting.” Phichit says “At least he’s not lying. He definitely looks like he really wanted to go out with you, Yuuri.” he says in a comforting tone. Yuuri sighs, thankful that Phichit decided to stay in Mila’s class, he knows he would have never fully believed Victor’s excuse if it wasn’t for him.

Phichit, still holding Yuuri’s phone suddenly perks up, his eyes light up with an idea. Yuuri’s eyes go wide in fear as he sees his friend’s fingers tap out a message. He shows it to Yuuri before sending it, but doesn’t let him take the phone back just yet. When he sends it Yuuri thinks his heart might beat itself out of his chest.

 **To:** Victor

Why don’t u bring Yuri with u? [14:22]

 

When Victor’s phone buzzes a single time, he expects a million things: he expects sad faces, a million questions, a suggestion for rescheduling, or a cancellation altogether.

He doesn’t get any of that. Yuuri is suggesting including Yurio in their plans and if he’s being honest it is not a terrible idea. It has some pros and some cons, but what doesn’t? He weighs them out carefully, and then asks Yurio if he would be okay with it. The teen doesn’t give him a solid answer, just shrugs and reminds Victor that he has practice at the time he had planned to meet Yuuri.

 **To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

How about u come over instead? [14:25]  
Yuri is out of practice at 7 [14:25]  
is 730 ok? [14:26]

 **From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[14:27] 730 sounds great :D I hope you’re both hungry!

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri leaves his and Phichit’s apartment almost an hour before he has to be at Victor’s, with a container full of katsudon. He let Phichit pick out his outfit so he’s wearing a light grey v-neck sweater with brown patches at the elbows over a light blue shirt and navy blue skinny jeans. The cuffs and collar of his shirt stick out from under the sweater, and Phichit whistles in approval when Yuuri twirls for him.

He walks to the subway station and takes the train that will leave him closest to the address Victor texted him. It’s not far, but Yuuri was worried about getting lost so he left a bit earlier than was probably necessary. He doesn’t get lost, his GPS takes him to Victor’s building only ten minutes after leaving the subway station.  He’s early, but he can’t stand awkwardly outside the building forever so he rings the bell. The gate door buzzes, and Yuuri pushes it to let himself in, wondering if Victor knew it was him or if he just lets everybody in.

Looking around he can see that the building’s lobby is very modest, surrounded by the doors of the first floor’s apartments. Yuuri walks into the elevator and presses the button for the fifth floor. He taps his fingers on the container while thinking that Victor’s apartment must have a nice view of the city, especially at night. He walks out of the elevator and down the hall to Victor’s door. He stands outside, and just as he’s about to knock, he can hear barking coming from the inside. There’s some shuffling, and the clear sound of a dog scratching the door. Yuuri can hear Victor’s voice but he can’t make out what he’s saying. There’s more shuffling followed by silence before the door finally opens.

“Yuuri, welcome! Come in, please,” Victor says, gesturing around the apartment.

He is wearing a loose white sweater with blue stripes and skinny jeans. Yuuri thought he looked good in yoga pants and crop tops, but this is on a whole new level. Maybe it’s the domesticity of the date getting to Yuuri - being in Victor’s apartment, cooking for him- but Victor looks cozy and those jeans make his thighs look even better than the first time Yuuri ever saw them. Yuuri looks down when he feels his face start to warm up, and walks in mumbling a quick ‘hello’. He lets Victor close the door behind him, as he looks around the apartment. It’s not much bigger than his and Phichit’s but the décor is definitely different. Yuuri thinks it looks exactly like the apartments in interior design magazines.

Victor takes him to the kitchen and tells him to leave the container there. He offers Yuuri a drink.

“Just water is okay, thanks” he says, leaning awkwardly against a kitchen counter.

“Alright, you can go sit in the living room, I’ll be right out.” Victor says with a smile, and Yuuri already feels a bit calmer.

Victor is in trouble, _big trouble_ . Yuuri looks amazing, his hair slicked back instead of loosely hanging over his face. It makes his eyes look different. Those eyes that Victor can’t stop thinking about, the same ones that keep haunting his dreams. He briefly wonders if Yuuri put on chapstick or if he’s been licking his lips because they are calling Victor’s name and it’s just _not fair_. He uses the water as an excuse to linger in the kitchen a bit longer, taking long, deep breaths in a very unsuccessful attempt to get his composure back. He can feel his heartbeat in his whole body.

Yuuri gives Victor a shy smile and a nod before turning to go sit. He barely steps out of the kitchen when he sees a blur of brown fur speeding towards him. Makkachin practically pounces on him, wagging her tail excitedly. Yuuri stumbles a bit but smiles downs at the dog.

“Makkachin, it’s so nice to meet you!” he greets, with a clear tone of excitement in his tone and already crouching down to pet her. Makkachin takes to licking his face and Yuuri doesn’t even try to stop her. He laughs and buries his face in her fur, sweet talking her and gently petting every inch of the dog he can reach. Makkachin welcomes the attention greedily.

Victor turns when he hears the dog’s name, ready to jump in and save Yuuri because Makkachin is very excitable and she likes to jump. She’s already scared a respectable number of visitors which is why Victor had _tried_ to lock her up. However, when he turns, Yuuri is already on the floor, laughing and petting her. The smile on his face is huge and it makes Victor’s heart do little flips all over.

 _And here I was, thinking I couldn’t fall any deeper for him_ , he thinks as a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. One of the glasses he’s holding almost slips out of his grip because he’s too busy crushing on the boy crouching on his kitchen floor.

“Makka, come on, let Yuuri breathe” he says holding the two glasses of water with whitened knuckles. She looks up at him and sits back, tail still going crazy behind her.

“It’s fine really. She’s a lot like Vicchan,” Yuuri says with a soft chuckle “except a bit bigger.” He’s standing up now and trying to smooth out his clothes. Clothes that Victor has been trying to pretend are just like the sweaty outfits he’s used to seeing on Yuuri. He’s only ever seen him in sports clothes and he clearly wasn’t mentally prepared for this. Now Yuuri’s bending over right in front of him, innocently trying to smooth out his jeans and completely unaware that Victor is right behind him, unashamedly staring at his ass. It’s not that he likes staring, he wishes he could look away but it seems to have some sort of magnetic pull that Victor can’t stop.

Yurio comes out of his room right then wearing jeans but no shirt, drying his hair with a towel.

“What’s with the ruckus?” he yells before looking up. When he sees the crowd standing in the living room, he freezes. His eyes open like plates and a light pink blush spreads on his face and chest. Without another word he turns around, goes back into his room and slams the door.

Yuuri turns to Victor, but before he can ask anything he just shakes his head.

“He’s a teen, Yuuri. We will never know,” he explains with a shrug, and offers him one of the glasses he’s holding.

Yuuri takes it and hums in agreement before suggesting they start getting dinner ready. He thinks Yurio must be hungry if he has just come back from practice. Victor perks up at the idea and he can almost feel his heart smiling. He shows Yuuri around in the kitchen and asks a million questions about what he cooked. Yuuri answers as many questions as he can in the softest voice as he hands Victor the now-full bowls of katsudon. He apologizes because it will not taste the same reheated as it would freshly cooked but Victor says he understands and adds that it’s not Yuuri’s fault either way.

Yurio comes out of his room, now fully dressed and silently sets the table. He steals a few glances at Yuuri, still in disbelief. He is half star-struck, half annoyed. He would never think, not in his wildest dreams that the skater Yuuri that stumbled into Victor’s studio could actually turn out to be _the_ Yuuri Katsuki. Yurio thinks he looks different but can’t put his finger on why. Eventually, he realizes that the Yuuri on his bedroom wall is not wearing glasses. This Yuuri also smiles a lot more than the one he’s seen competing; he’s calm now. He looks shorter without the skates, too but Yurio should have seen that coming.

The table is set and Victor walks out with two bowls of something Yurio doesn’t recognize. Yuuri is right behind him with another bowl of the same.

“What is this?” Yurio scoffs as he sits down and pokes at the food.

“It’s katsudon, a pork cutlet bowl” Yuuri explains, smiling at him. “It’s my mother’s recipe, I hope you like it.”

Yurio pokes at the food a few times, before daring to take a bite. The other two are looking at him expectantly. It’s delicious. He doesn’t say anything, but the way he starts stuffing his mouth speaks volumes. Yuuri and Victor chuckle and exchange a knowing look before focusing on their own bowls. Victor immediately starts running his mouth about how delicious it is, making Yuuri blush. Yurio tries drowning out their voices by focusing on the bowl in front of him. He’s still trying to process the fact that Yuuri Katsuki is sitting across from him. Yuuri Katsuki, who is not only a great skater but an amazing chef as well.

After a few bites Yuuri breaks the silence.

“So, Yuri, Victor tells me you’re skating this season.” He pauses to take a sip of water. “Do you have your routines ready?”

“Yeah, but Yakov says I have to work on my step sequences,” he says in the calmest voice he can muster. “What about you, katsudon?”

Yuuri looks surprised for a moment; he wasn’t expecting Yurio to be interested in him. He didn’t even expect Yuri to know him as a skater. He supposes Victor told him, so he doesn’t comment on it. “Uhm, yeah, yeah but I can’t land my quad salchow regularly yet.”

“You always get high performance scores, though” Yurio speaks before he realizes the implications of his statement. Victor and Yuuri look at him with wide eyes, mouths frozen mid-chew.

“You’ve seen me skate?” Yuuri asks, leaning in ever so slightly. Yurio’s eyes are focused on his bowl and, if it wasn’t for the curtain of hair hiding his face, Yuuri would be able to see him blushing.

“Y– yeah,” he mumbles. He doesn’t say anything about the poster on his wall. He doesn’t say Yuuri is part of the reason he decided to skate competitively. “Victor’s seen it too,” he adds trying to steer the attention away from himself.

“Oh, I definitely have.” Victor says in a tone that reminds Yuuri of the girls in the romantic movies Phichit makes him watch. He half expects Victor to sigh but he doesn’t have much time to think about it because Victor is still speaking. “I _loved_ your Lohengrin, Yuuri. It was beautiful, truly.” Yuuri chokes on his katsudon and curses under his breath. Yurio chuckles because he’s seen how embarrassed Yuuri gets when they bring it up in interviews. He takes pity on his idol.

“So, why didn’t you two go out for real?” Yurio says, his fork pointing between them.

“Because Mila is sick, Yura, I told you,” Victor says, calmly.

“Bullshit. I mean, yeah” he says with a shrug “but you were still going to his apartment for dinner. I mean why didn’t you go _out_ out?” Yurio’s tone is not accusing exactly, but Yuuri can’t determine what’s behind it. The question takes him by surprise, though. He is right about questioning them. Why did Yuuri cook for Victor, again? _Because the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,_ comes the voice in his head. He tries to shake the thought away.

“Well, we were going to go out for coffee, but Yuuri and caffeine don’t mix and this was the next thing we thought of so… it just happened, I guess.” Victor explains, looking at Yuuri.

“Why don’t you mix with caffeine, katsudon?” Yurio asks with his mouth full.

“I, uh, well it makes me anxious,” Yuuri replies, suddenly feeling hotter. “A bit like the feeling before competitions, but actually a lot worse because there’s just no reason for it,” he tries explaining.

“Hmm, I see,” is all Yurio says.

“We’ll see if you don’t get nervous before your competitions, Yura.” Victor teases, and after a pause he adds “I remember being _so_ nervous my whole first season.” He sighs and puts a hand over his heart, leaning back in his seat. There’s a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. Yuuri chokes, trying not to spit out his water. Yurio gives him a deathly glance.

“You skate?” Yuuri manages after about a minute of coughing and Victor softly rubbing his back.

“Used to, yes” Victor says, nonchalantly. Yuuri starts connecting the dots right then and there. His eyes go wide just as Victor speaks again. “Victor Nikiforov, Junior World Champion. Pleasure to meet you.” He says, extending his hand towards Yuuri in a mock introduction. Yuuri can only stare at it wide-eyed. He thinks he’s close to tears; his vision is getting out of focus and the air in the room refuses to enter his lungs.

“Oh, my god,” Yuuri whispers, covering his mouth with both hands and leaning back into the chair. He’s looking at Victor like he’s a whole different person. “I used to have a poster of you!” he finally exclaims. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you! This explains so much,” he says, more to himself than to the other two. Victor laughs, and it’s that warm laugh Yuuri loves, it makes him feel at ease. It makes him feel at home.

“First of all, I’m flattered, which one was it?” Victor asks with a wink. “Second: it’s the hair. I actually get that a lot more than you think,” he explains and Yuuri can see it now. Of course, Victor had beautiful long hair when he skated in juniors. It’s hard to believe both hairstyles make him look _so_ good.

“That and the yoga,” Yuuri observes. “What… why…” he is trying to decide what to ask first. He settles for: “How did you end up here?” Yurio groans, and rolls his eyes. He’s heard that story too many times to keep track so he turn his focus back to his katsudon.

“Ah, it’s a long story, Yuuri. Are you sure you want to listen to it?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” he says and there’s a pause but Victor doesn’t speak because Yuuri looks like he’s about to say something else. “I named my dog after you!” he exclaims before gasping and covering his face with his hands. An ‘oh, god’ comes from behind his hands as his face turns a new shade of red.

Yurio is trying not to throw up his entire dinner right then and there. Who knew Katsuki would be this kind of man. He remembers someone saying something about not meeting your idols and he thinks he understands now.

Victor, on the other hand is completely shocked. It’s not that he’s getting a lot of information but the few things he’s getting have way more meaning than Victor could have ever imagined. He knows he’s blushing, he knows he can’t make his big smile any smaller and he’s trying to decide if it’s okay to hug Yuuri now. To hug him and tell him that if he’d known about him earlier he would have named his dog after him, and bought all of his posters.

“Oh well, where do I start?” Victor says, running a hand through his hair. Yuuri looks at him with a new kind of shine in his eyes, waiting patiently. Victor’s heart jumps at the sight, and starts telling Yuuri his almost-rehearsed story from the multiple retellings.

He begins the story with young Victor’s first skate and Yuuri laughs with the image of a Victor that would remind onlookers of a baby Bambi instead of a future skating legend. He goes on to tell a bit of his time in competitive figure skating. Yuuri knows this part, so he adds a few comments; he tells him about the first time he saw Victor on TV and the many times he tried to recreate his routines. Victor thinks it’s beyond endearing and makes a mental note to get a recording of that from Yuuri’s mom.

He then gets that’s of most interest to Yuuri: Victor’s senior debut, or lack thereof. Yuuri says he remembers waiting, filled with excitement to see what Victor would do for his first time skating with the big names of figure skating of the time. That tugs at Victor’s heartstrings but he clears his throat and moves on because he really can’t regret having left the sport.

“I pushed myself too hard. Not even Yakov could stop me,” he says, looking at the rice he’s moving around in his bowl. “I hurt myself, of course. It wasn’t bad, probably a first degree sprain. I would have been okay in a week.” There is a pause during which Yuuri can hear his heart beating in his ears, and Victor looks almost hurt at the memory. “I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t want to miss a single minute of practice. Of course it got worse, but I was reckless. I ended up in the hospital with doctors telling me all sorts of things. Yakov was mad, but I think he was mostly hurt that I hadn’t said anything. He really does care, after all.”

Yuuri wants to reach his hand, and squeeze it just a little bit because the frown on Victor’s face is not one he was prepared to see, and definitely not one he wants to see. It hurts to see him remember things like this, like they still cause him pain. Yuuri almost regrets asking about it, but then Victor looks up at him, snapping out of his own thoughts and his eyes are so bright, so intense in their own shade of blue that Yuuri almost thinks he could lose himself in them.

“A few told me I wouldn’t walk again; you know how they can be dramatic. Most of them agreed, however, on the fact that I wouldn’t skate again.” Victor sighs and there’s a hint of a smile on his lips. “Of course I hated hearing it, but now, looking back… it’s almost a relief.”

“W-why?” Yuuri chokes out. He had been too immersed in the story to remember to swallow, and his throat feels dry.

“Well, you see,” Victor explains, giving Yuuri half a smile, “I think the reason I threw myself into skating was because I didn’t feel… complete. As if my heart needed more and I wanted to fill the void with skating. It never worked, though. However, when one of my doctors suggested that I use yoga as physical therapy and I read a bunch of miracle stories I thought ‘what the heck’ and I did it. I signed myself up, skeptical but willing to try.” Now there’s a full smile on his face, like he’s about to laugh. “You wouldn’t believe how much it helped. In the shortest time I stopped feeling weak, and I was in love with everything. I wanted to go to the studio every day. It may have been just being back on endorphins but I didn’t even think about going back to skating after that. It wasn’t that I didn’t love it anymore, it’s that I’d found something that would fill my heart. Don’t make that face, it wasn’t yoga, it was me. I think that’s how I found myself, and sometimes I still can’t believe it was outside of a rink. I always believed what I’d been told my whole life: I’d be a great skater, perhaps I would make history. But I didn’t. Yet I’ve never been happier.”

Yuuri is staring at Victor in awe, because he does look happy. He does look full. He is telling the truth. There are no regrets in the man sitting across from Yuuri. The younger man has a hard time believing that the man who was his idol and inspiration didn’t feel happy skating, he was amazing despite not feeling ‘complete’. He thinks he understands, though.  Maybe yoga makes Victor feel like skating does Yuuri. He stares for a little longer at the soft smile and closed eyes of his date, and briefly wonders if he’ll be able to uncover more of the mysteries behind the legend.

“Anyways that’s how I know Chris and little Yuri here. I guess I thought you would connect the dots.”

Yuuri snaps out of his thoughts to cover his face with his hands. He rests his elbows on the table and lets out a little embarrassed groan.

“I should have known, I’ve made a fool of myself.”

“Oh no, of course not, Yuuri.” Victor hesitates while reaching out to grab one of Yuuri’s forearms, instead letting his hand float halfway there.  “It’s fine, really. I guess now I know for sure that you like me for me?” the last part comes out more like a question, and the tone is a bit too high. It makes Yuuri lift his gaze. Victor is blushing down at his almost finished plate, playing with the last bites of rice that still sit there waiting to be eaten.

Just that is enough to make Yuuri blush in return. He tries to stammer out something like ‘of course I like you for you’ but he’s a bit too flustered and the words don’t want to come out.

Yurio saves the day once again when he says, as if he hadn't heard the last few minutes of conversation: “So, is there any more of this stuff? I’m still hungry.”

The other two let out a sigh at the same time and get up to get the teen more food. Yuuri serves the food and hands Victor the plate so he can pop it in the microwave. They’re both still wearing a light blush over their cheeks and soft smiles on their lips. They stand in silence, on opposite sides of the kitchen. They don’t notice Yura snapping a picture.

 **To:** Baba

[photo attachment] [20:13]  
this is gross. y did u have to get sick TODAY [20:13]

When the other two come out of the kitchen they look more relaxed and have moved on to talking about their dogs. Victor is fawning over the pictures of baby Vicchan that Yuuri is showing him on his phone. They finish their meal and Victor proposes watching a movie. However, Yurio insists it’s his time to pick and the other two are left with no alternative. Yurio sits between the other two, arguing that he didn’t want to turn around in the middle of the movie and see them making out which was met with two men blushing and looking away with no breath left to argue. The teenager just huffs and grabs the remote controller. Victor disappears into the kitchen and after sometime comes back with three bowls of popcorn. He hands them out to the two Yuris and sits on the other end of the couch. Yuuri looks at his bowl for a few seconds, not wanting to admit that he’s a bit disappointed. He can almost hear Phichit’s sigh and  ‘no accidental hand touching over popcorn, what a disgrace’. He hides a chuckle behind his hand and focuses on the movie that’s starting in front of him. It’s a terrible Russian sitcom and there’s a reference or two that Victor has to explain to Yuuri, but for the most part they all end up actually having fun.

Once the movie is over, Yuuri helps Victor clean everything up, while Yurio plays a videogame Yuuri doesn’t recognize. He insists they keep what was left of the katsudon, after all they see each other often enough for him to get the container back and Yurio seemed to like it a lot. When he walks out the door, Yurio gives a nod in his general direction, his eyes never coming off the screen, and Makkachin wags his tail at the goodbye pets. Victor stands at the half open door, looking at Yuuri with a indecipherable smile. Yuuri doesn’t know what to do, but his mouth starts moving before he can know what is happening.

“So, uh… I’ll see you Monday?” he regrets the words when he sees Victor’s eyes go wide and his smile fall for a fraction of a second. Victor quickly composes himself and manages to nod and give a little wave, afraid that his voice might betray him if he were to speak.

Yuuri is too embarrassed and frustrated with himself to do anything other than turn around and make his way downstairs and out the building.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri texts Victor as soon as he gets home, per his request.

 

 **From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[23:42] thanks for having me, it was fun  
[23:43] though I think your little cousin hates me :S

 **To:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

I’m glad u made it home safe! :D [23:45]  
Yura loves you! Why would u think tht? [23:45]

“Yura?” Victor calls from the kitchen. There’s the faint sound of a scoff and then footsteps coming from the hall.

“What do you want, old man?” he says when he sees Victor sitting at the kitchen counter.

“Did you say something to Yuuri? He thinks you hate him,” Victor explains and watches in amazement as Yurio’s face turns from his usual scowl to a mix between surprise and embarrassment. Victor’s phone pings just as Yurio is trying to school his face back to normal and trying to ask why the skater would think that.

 **From:** Yuuri ♥♥♥

[23:47] well, he looked at me like he was mad that I was there  
[23:47] like he was waiting for me to leave  
[23:48] I’m so sorry if I overstayed my welcome!

Yurio and Victor stare at the messages for a few seconds. Victor searches Yurio’s face, looking for any sort of reaction. The young boy looks even angrier than usual, and his face is beet-red. He stomps away, back into his bedroom before Victor can say anything.

On the other side of the screen, Yuuri is now cursing himself. He should’ve known not to stay that long. He was too caught up in Victor, he let himself think maybe his feelings were returned. He groans and Phichit gives him an all-too-familiar look from the other end of the couch. Thankfully, his phone vibrates in his hand, before Phichit can say anything.

 **From:** Victor

[23:48] Yuuri don’t worry abt that!! It was a pleasure having you here :D  
[23:48] don’t worry about Yurio either u know how teens are

Yuuri smiles a little and lets a sigh escape between his parted lips. Phichit seizes the opportunity to reach over and take the phone from his hands and it turns into a persecution around the apartment with Phichit going ‘ooooh’ and ‘aaaaah’ after reading each message aloud.

 

* * *

 

 

Sunday is officially lazy day for Yuuri and Phichit. Leo and Guang Hong come over to play Mario Kart and eat pizza all day. They’re in the middle of a race when someone knocks on their door. There’s a series of groans and a few curses before Yuuri gets up to open the door. When he opens it, he can’t hide the surprise that is written all over his body. He jumps a little, his eyes go wide, and his mouth opens to try and say something but he doesn’t know where to begin. _This is_ not _the pizza delivery man_ , is all his brain can process.

Yurio stares at him from the hall and instead of saying anything resembling an explanation, he shoves a bag into Yuuri’s hands.

“Yuuri, hurry up with the pizza, already, I’m hungry!” Leo calls from the couch, craning his neck back to see if Yuuri is coming over. Phichit can see that his friend is not moving, so he walks over to see what is going on. He puts his arm around Yuuri’s shoulder before even looking at Yurio.

“Oh! Who’s this? And what’s that?” he says taking the bag from Yuuri’s hands. Yurio huffs but doesn’t say anything. He looks even angrier than the day before.

“Uh, Phichit, this is Yurio, Victor’s cousin. He’s uh… he’s also a skater.” Yuuri explains, unable to erase the surprised look from his face.

“That,” Yurio explains, pointing at the bag “is pirozhki. My grandfather’s recipe.”

“Well, little Yurio, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Wanna come in? We’re playing Mario Kart.” Phichit takes a step back to let Yurio come inside and closes the door behind him.

“Katsudon,” Yurio says, turning to Yuuri. “I don’t hate you.” Yuuri’s chest feels tight all of a sudden, his eyes prickle, but he’s sure that if he starts crying right then and there, Yurio will change his mind about him. “Anyway, give me a controller, I will destroy you.”

Leo and Guang Hong stare at the teen in amazement, having heard the whole exchange. Leo hands him a controller and Yurio takes a seat on the couch. When he’s busy selecting a character, the four friends all exchange meaningful looks, and someone mouths a ‘can we keep him?’.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you believe they didn't kiss???? they are killing meee!!!!  
> aaaah thanks again for reading, y'all! I love youu <33 (i promise i'll try my best to not keep u waiting this long again omfg)  
> Special thanks to [my amazing beta ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessZoe/pseuds/PrincessZoe)for making this mess understandable  
> Let me know all ur thoughts, comments give me life!!!


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